Broken
by AmandaLRol
Summary: Ed is shot down and held hostage by four men who are out to end Greg Parker and his team. The team try desperately to save Ed's life before a distraught and emotional Greg gives the men what they demand. His life, for Ed's. But it may be too late.. ************WRITER HIATUS************
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Flashpoint (sadly, because if I did, there would be thirty more seasons) or any of it's characters. This fanfic doesn't depict any real event on the show or in real life. This is purely fan-made.**

It was a dark, dreary wet day. It had been raining non-stop for a week now, no relief in sight. The boys, Clark and Dean were away from school, on spring break. With the usual outside activities drowned out, they decided to pay a visit to the station to see what their Dads were up to. Turns out they would be taking advantage of the dreary whether to stem out some training exercises against team three. All in good fun, the Boss would say.

Ed sat at the table in the briefing room, with his son and best friend, Dean, joining them as they mapped out today's course. The Boss, also known as Sgt Greg Parker, was on the other end of the table. With no calls coming in, Greg and Ed had a few minutes to sit back and chat with the boys for a short while. They were talking, laughing, and drinking fresh coffee that Winnie had made for them. Dean preferred soda, he wasn't much of a coffee person. Clark, who was sitting next to his father in his usual slouched position, looked at Greg and motioned to continue the conversation, "So, this police business, is it even worth the trouble? I mean, if Dean was looking into it, I thought maybe... " He glanced over to his father who had a look that Clark expected to see.

"Oh no you don't" Ed cautioned, his voice thick with that of a parent scolding a child. "Don't even think about it. We have enough of a time dealing with one delinquent wanna-be cop." He glanced at Dean and smirked. Dean let out a sigh and started to protest but Ed cut him off. "Besides, you're so great with the piano.. why don't you follow-up in a career in fancy - piano-ish work or something." He laughed. "I'm sure you'll come across something, less dangerous. Unless," he added, "You were looking into exploding pianos. Now that's a different story."

The group burst out in hysteria while Clark looked mildly offended. He stood and grumbled something about not being fair.

"Ah, no worries," Greg said, patting Clark on the back firmly. "He's just playing with you, buddy. He'll come around soon enough. If I can do it, so can he." Greg scoffed at Eddie jokingly behind Clark's back. It was all Ed could do to prevent himself from bursting out laughing again. After a somewhat awkward pause, Greg looked at Dean. "My boy, if he wants to follow in my line of work, then so be it. There isn't anything I can do to stop him. He just needs to know that I will always be there for him when he needs me." Dean looked at his father and smiled that reassuring smile everyone knew quite well.

"See dad, that's what I mean. How can these two get along so well when they haven't seen each other in like, eight years? But you and me.." Clark said smugly.

Greg looked at Ed, who had been taken aback by the sudden question and didn't know what to say. "Clark, I…"

They were interrupted when Spike entered the room, fully geared and prepped. Looking cheerful and hype as you would imagine Spike to be on a day like this. Like a little kid who just got a giant chocolate bar and ate it all in one bite."Hey, Ed, it's time for the field training. We're on priority one calls only, team two and four are out on the town. We're gonna go against team three today. I've got the stuff set up and we're ready to kick ass…" Spike stopped talking and looked around to the group sitting around the table. "Oh, sorry, did I come in at a bad time?"

"No," Ed replied. He decided he wanted to talk to his son for a few minutes. "Hey, Greg, give me a few minutes, I'll see the boys out, okay?"

"Yeah," Greg stood. "Alright Spike, tell team one to gear up, we meet up in five. Be ready. Ed meet up with us as soon as you can, alright?"

"Yeah, will do boss." Ed said as Greg and Spike left the room. He wanted to leave right away, to avoid the awkward situation that was about to ensue, but he held back, thinking he owed it to himself to at least try and talk about it. "Hey Clark, let me speak to you for a moment." He motioned Clark to sit in the chair next to him. Dean sat where he was. Not wanting to get in their business, he took out his phone and fumbled with it aimlessly, pretending to be interested in what he was doing. "Clark," Ed continued, "I just want the best for you, this line of work, it's too dangerous. You've seen what it does to me.. to Greg. I just don't want you to get caught up in that type of mess. I love you, you're my son and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you." He paused for a moment to make sure the words were clear. "Your mother would have my head."

"Alright, dad I understand." Clark said. "I know the stuff you go through. I've seen it. We've seen it." He said, Looking Dean who was still engrossed in his phone. "Can you just think about it? Give it some time, like Greg said. I haven't completely made up my mind yet. It was just a thought."

Dean looked up in time to see slight relief flourish Ed's face. "Okay buddy," He pulled Clark into a tight hug and kissed him on his forehead. "I'll think about it, I promise. Just promise me that you'll think about it as well."

"I promise dad." He gave his father a shove in which was promptly returned.

"I've gotta get going boys, the team is waiting for me. It's time you two head out and go study for the stuff kids your age are supposed to be studying." He winked. "I'll catch up with you later…"

Ed stopped mid-sentence, which prompted Clark and Dean to both turn and look at what he was staring at. Four men had walked into the building, and were standing at the security desk. One man, nothing but muscle, was wearing a thick fur coat. He was tall and and appeared to act as though he was the leader in the group of men. He was talking quickly in a low, harsh voice to Winnie and she was responding as if she didn't know what he was asking of her. Two other men, who looked scrawny, under-fed, and homeless, held duffel bags large enough to hide weapons. This concerned Ed, and his heart started to race. Was he just being paranoid? Then he noticed a fourth man, or teenager, no older than 15 was looking around nervously with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a small blue coat, blue jeans and a white baseball cap. The poor kid was sweating, Ed could see that, even from as far away as he was.

"Stay here guys. I'm serious." Ed motioned to the boys. "Let me handle this. If anything goes wrong, just head out that door over there and call for help." He pointed to the emergency exit door labeled 'Authorized Personnel Only.' "I'm sure it's nothing, I just need to check it out." Ed looked around the room quickly to see if some type of communication could be made to the team. Nothing, just the walkie over by the security desk. "Great" Ed mumbled.

Dean and Clark quickly did as they were asked as Ed made his way calmly up to the four men who became more and more agitated as the long minutes passed. The boy stared at Ed with wide eyes like saucers, and gave him the chills. "Hey can I help you fellas?" He said quietly at first, as to not startle them. "I'm Ed Lane, team leader of team one. I figured I could help you out with…"

"You're part of team one?" The youngest one asked, his voice shaking with fear and what Ed had thought to be anger.

"Yeah, yeah I am, did you guys.."

"Where is Greg Parker?"

"Oh, well team one is training now but…"

"Where is Greg Parker?"

"I don't think…"

The large man pulled a rifle from underneath his coat so quickly, Ed didn't have time to react. He should of noticed the man slowly reach into his jacket, but he couldn't stop staring at the kid. The man crunched his gun against Ed's forehead so quick that all Ed saw was a blinding light. He stumbled as the man grabbed him, Ed weakly trying to fight him off, to no avail.

"Get out of here boys. Get out now!" Ed yelled behind him as the man quickly wrestled him to the ground, forcing him to lay face down, pressing him against the cold concrete floor so he couldn't struggle. Winnie made a gasping noise and ducked back behind the desk before the men were able to grab her. One of the men swiftly jumped and flew over the counter, deflecting Winnie's flailing blows, grabbing her by the arms and pinning her down.

"Dad!" Clark yelled.

"No! Clark get out! Get Greg! I'll be just fine. Get out now!" Ed said through gasping breaths.

Clark made a move for the door yelling for Dean but the boy was frozen to the spot. He couldn't take his eyes off of the weapon bearing on Eddie. "Dean, get out now! No hesitation, that's an order!" Ed managed. The man took his rifle by the end and smashed it against Ed to shut him up. Ed made a faint "Oof" sound before yelling out in pain. The man then took the rifle and whipped it across Ed's forehead again, making a loud _Thud_ sound. Ed grew still and quiet.

"Dean, we gotta go! We gotta go.. please!" Clark begged, fighting the urge to run in after his father. Dean suddenly realizes the severity of the situation and he finally manages to get his legs to move by force. It was all he could do to not stop and curl up into a ball and panic. One foot in front of the other, he said to himself. He bolted toward the door and slammed it shut behind him. "Clark, we have to do something! They have a gun to your father! We cant just run away and..." He was letting the panic set it. What the hell had he just done. He left Ed in there.

Clark looked at him, horror strewn across his face. He was also holding back, but he knew what had to be done. "We can't do anything. Don't be a hero, Dean! Greg will get my dad out.. he has too! Come on!" He and Dean quickly bolted down the stairs and made route to the training grounds, where they would find team one and tell them what was unfolding right under them. "Quick, we gotta get them, we gotta hurry, my dad..!"

"Yeah, Clark," Dean finally agreed breathlessly, as they raced to find Greg. "My dad will know what to do."

* * *

"Alright guys, are we ready to start? Where's Ed?"

"I'm not sure, boss. He isn't answering his phone." Jules said. "Is he on the coms?"

"Well I assume he would be if he's getting geared up for the exercise today." Greg turned on his com. "Hey, Ed? Where are you? We're waiting. C'mon dude, don't make us forfeit because you decided to get lazy." He mocked.

There was no answer on the other end.

"Well, guess I'll go and get him. Shouldn't take me a few minutes or so. Time me," Spike challenged, a wide smile across his face as he pointed to his stop watch.

Before he could set off, a sharp metallic _Pow!_ rang through the air, then three more. _Pow! Pow! Pow!_

Four shots rang in the ears of team one.

Spike stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly turned around and locked eyes with Greg. His smile gone as fast as it was there moments ago. "Boss.."

"Donna…" Greg looked at Donna, her face was riddled with confusion as was the rest of the team.

"Donna," He said again, more firmly. "Was anyone scheduled for the gun range today?"

The look on her face was answer enough for Greg. "Alright team, we've got shots fired. Sam, get a hold of Eddie and find out where he is. Jules, do a head count, make sure everyone is here. Leah.." He looked at Leah but she was not paying attention. Her eyes and posture indicated something wasn't right. He looked quickly in the direction of her gaze. She had been distracted by two forms moving quickly across the field toward them.. exposed.

"Boss we got incoming!" Leah said, raising her weapon.

"Hostiles? Confirm!' Greg demanded, gun at the ready.

"No!" Spike yelled. "Hold steady! It's Clark and Dean!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Guns down! Put your guns down!" Spike shouted. Before anyone had time to react, he raced out into the line of fire without giving it a second thought. "Clark, Dean! Are you okay?" He yelled. The boys were running as fast at their legs could carry them, both yelling and flailing their arms aimlessly. He noticed right away the panic-stricken looks on their faces and ran out to meet them halfway. "What's going on?" He shouted. "Where is Ed?" Spike ran to Clark and steadied him before he collapsed from pure exhaustion. Clark looked to be in a state of absolute fear, which frightened Spike to the core. "Clark! Talk to me! Boss! Something isn't right here!" He shouted as the rest of the team caught up with him.

Both of the boys were breathless and exhausted from the long sprint that neither of them had been used to. They sucked in air as if all of it had been drained from their lungs. Their heightened state of fear and the amount they ran was almost too much for them, their hearts pounding in protest. Dean was the first to speak, but he spoke directly to his father through gulps of dry air. "Dad! Dad!" Was all he could manage before he began coughing.

Clark stood rooted to the ground, struggling to catch his breath, being supported by Spike's weight. Greg had caught up with the boys by then and rushed over to his son to check and see if he was hurt.

"Spike, any injuries?" Greg asked. He looked Dean up and down, and to his relief, he was okay.

"No Boss, they're okay, I think." He replied. "But they're terrified. Just look at them."

"Boys, boys please, can you tell me what happened? Did you see the shooter?" Greg asked.

Before Clark managed to say anything, he turned around and puked involuntarily all over the muddy green grass as Spike backed away, a look of worry creasing his forehead.

"Clark!" Greg said, alarmed. _Something really isn't right_, he thought to himself. Ed kept crossing his mind. He took a few steps toward Clark wanting to comfort him, but also confused and shocked at the same time. He wanted answers most of all. "What the heck…"

"My dad! It's my dad!" He managed. "Men. Four of them. Guns. They hurt him. Winnie. She's there.. I don't know." He said between breaths.

"Shots. Four of them I think. I couldn't tell." Dean added, holding steady as Jules moved in and supported his weight. Dean let her hold him as he stood there. Both of the boys were dizzy and incoherent. Most of what they were trying to say came out as unrecognizable mumbling.

Spike and Jules looked at each other. "Boss," Spike said, 'What the hell is going on.. where is Ed?!"

Greg stood in disbelief. Everything was happening too quickly, he couldn't put the pieces together in his head.

"Boss, the boys are in shock." Jules said. She helped Dean to sit down on the ground as he composed himself. "I think we've got a real situation here. Dean, come on baby, can you tell me what happened?" She looked him in the eyes and could clearly make out the fear that clouded them.

Greg was pacing back and forth, unsure of what to make of the boys and what they said. Eddie, in trouble? That wasn't possible, he was with him only minutes before. He had to figure out what was going on and quick. The thought of Ed, alone and injured caused him to shudder. There was no time to lose.

"Sam, Jules, take care of the boys, get them out of here. Try to get them to tell us everything that happened. Leah, Spike, come with me. We need eyes and ears ASAP. We've got to find Ed and Winnie!" He rushed off knowing his team was close behind without question.

* * *

Ed woke to violent shaking of his body. Someone was yelling at him, but he couldn't make out the figure in his daze. The room was spinning, his vision blurry, and he was aware of a sharp pain on the left side of his head. He couldn't think clearly but he knew something wasn't right. He tried to speak, in his mind he thought there was someone he had to warn. He had to help them, they were in danger. His thoughts clouded his memory.

"Wake up you fool!" A man's voice shouted in his ear, causing him to wince. His eyes peeled open slowly to blinding light. "There we go, the old man is finally with us again. Hey, you!" He shook Ed again, causing him to stir back into full consciousness. "Where is your friend Greg Parker? It's urgent, if you hadn't noticed. We have some business to attend to" He sneered.

Ed looked at the man, his vision clear now. It was the bulk man in the fur coat from earlier. Although this time he got a clear look into his face. There was a scar across his right eye, and Ed soon realized that the man was blind in that eye as well. Suddenly, the moments before had all come back to him. A lump formed in his throat as he remembered what was happening. The boys were in danger. Ed needed to make sure they got out. "I'm not sure," He lied. He wasn't about to tell this man anything. "He left, some meeting.." He slurred, trying to stall as he looked around the room as much as he could to make sure the boys were gone. His heart sank when he saw Winnie, bound by the feet and arms. She was dead silent, and Ed soon found out why. One of the men had their gun trained on her. They locked eyes and Winnie blinked twice. Ed let out a sigh of relief. The boys were out, thank God. He tried sitting up only to be shoved back into the floor forcefully.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time, Ed Lane," The man said thickly. "Where is Greg Parker?" He breathed into Ed's face and the smell made his eyes water, and his stomach turn.

"I said I didn't know.." Before Ed had the chance to finish, the man let go of his firm grip on him and pulled out a small handgun, backing away from Ed as he cocked it. Ed stammered to his feet warily, and held his hands up in surrender, creating distance at a minimal pace. He wasn't about to charge a man with a loaded gun aimed at him. He was just going to have to play this one out. He knew the routine all too well. Stay calm, and don't get shot. He looked at Winnie and nodded, trying to assure her that everything was going to be fine. She was sitting calmly, focusing on her breathing technique that Spike had taught her.

"Listen, sir, can we talk?" Ed asked, backing further and further away from the man. He was looking for the words to say but his mind was still muddled and it ached. The rifle to the head must have knocked him pretty good, he thought. He couldn't keep his hands from shaking, and his heart was racing. "Can we just talk? I can help you out, let's just talk" He said calmly. He maintained eye contact with the man and his gun, making sure to not make any sudden movements and kept his hands visible at all times.

"Let's talk about Greg Parker." The man replied, his words thick with Russian accent, Ed had just realized. He never missed details like that._ Calm down, Ed, calm down._ "Tell me where he is." He raised his weapon and trained it on Ed.

Ed stumbled backwards as he tried to reason with the threat. What in the world did he want Greg for, it obviously wasn't for anything reasonable. This man was out to hunt him down. Ed's head ached as he thought of what to say. He couldn't think clearly, he began to panic. "Now, I can't do that, I'm sorry", he said, his voice shaking. He could move back no further, finding himself cornered between the wall and a gun. "I can help you, please, just tell me what you need Greg for. Just tell me. Can you tell me? I can talk to him for you." He tried.

The man sat completely still for a few moments, as if choosing his next move. Ed scanned the room quickly, darting his eyes left and right to find anything that could help him. He cursed Greg silently for always keeping the briefing room spotless.

The man took a few steps closer to Ed. "No," He said, "You won't talk to him. But you will bring him to me."

Four shots rang out and Ed's world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Jules and Sam escorted the boys to safety across the field over to the parking lot by the East side. By the time they reached their destination EMS had arrived to asses them. Both Clark and Dean were starting to get better mentally, but physically they were both sick to their stomachs. The scene that had just unfolded right in front of them had shaken them to the core. There was nothing left in Clark when Sam guided him over to the medic who wrapped a shock blanket around him. Sam sat close to him as the medical officer checked over him thoroughly to make sure there were no injuries present. "All clear." The medic said before moving to check on Dean.

"Clark, we really need to know what happened up there." Sam said impatiently, even though he had not meant to. He was tense, not knowing the fate of his friend who was a great mentor to him, always having his back. It was killing him on the inside, but he managed to steady his voice. "Was your dad.."

The mere mention of Ed brought tears to the teenager's eyes. "I couldn't, there wasn't anything we could do." He said, trying to hold back sobs. "They had him. He was on the ground and they were beating on him until he didn't move anymore." Clark started crying, tears flowing freely. Sam took him by the shoulder and embraced him in a tight hug. He knew what Clark was going through. He has experienced it too many times before. The time that Jules had been shot and he had to continue on his mission, not knowing her fate for the longest of time. He did all of that for her, knowing she'd want him to continue. To get the guy who was threatening to destroy their team leader. This team was more than a team. They were a family, protocol or not. Now Ed was in danger and that scared Sam more than anything before.

"It's gonna be okay. Please, you have to trust me, we're gonna do everything we can to get your dad out of there. Is there anything else you can tell us?" Sam said. At the same time he was attempting to suppress his fear and maintain his level of professionalism. He knew that now was not the time to let his emotions take over. He hugged Clark tighter. "Anything, even the smallest detail." He said.

Clark continued to tell Sam what he saw in that room. He described the four men to the best of his ability through his tears. He also remembered a particular detail. "It was Greg.. they kept asking for Greg. They wanted to know where he was." He said. "I'm sorry, Sam. That's all I know. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay Clark, you did a good job. You can go sit over there with Dean now, I promise we'll figure this out, We'll find your dad." Sam pointed to over where Dean was sitting on the curb, who had just finished talking with Jules. He wasn't going to lie to Clark but he didn't want to tell him anything yet. Yeah, they'll find his dad, one way or another. He scolded himself for thinking that way. Jules walked up to Sam with a grim expression on her face.

"It's not looking good Boss," Jules said into her com, low enough so that the boys wouldn't be able to hear her. "The boys got good looks on the men but neither of them were there when they heard the gun shots." She looked at Sam and he nodded. "Ed wasn't armed as far as we know, and he didn't have his vest on. That's what I got from Dean." She adjusted her cap and brushed her bangs out of her face before looking at Sam again, her eyes reflecting the tears that she was holding back. "Boss," she said quietly. "Ed didn't fire those shots."

_"Alright Jules, keep us updated."_ Came the reply.

Jules turned her head so the boys couldn't see her face. She disconnected communications with the boss and looked at Sam. "Sam.. are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine Jules," He replied.

"It's just, I know how much Ed means to you.."

"I said I'm fine, Jules.. Now please, let's just try to think here. We need to figure out who has had a recent vendetta with the Boss. Anyone who would want to go after him."

"Sam, the list goes on and on.. I'm not sure we'd be able to.."

"Jules!" He said harshly, regretting it immediately. "I'm sorry, sorry." He said when she looked hurt. "It's a delicate situation. We don't have much time." He took her hand is his and kissed it lightly. "It's Ed, Jules. Something is wrong, I can feel it in my gut. I hate it, I absolutely hate it, the feeling just won't go away."

_"Sam, Jules come up to HQ right away."_ their coms suddenly blasted with Greg's voice. It was laced with something neither of them ever wanted to hear from their Boss. It was fear. They rushed off instantly to join their team.

* * *

Greg, Spike, and Leah made their way to HQ, as quickly as they could. When they arrived they were met by at least twenty police officers who had surrounded the building and Commander Holleran. As soon as the Commander saw Greg, he walked to him and started. "Thank goodness you are all alright." He said. " We thought the team was up there, we weren't getting any answers. We were about to send in backup. I can call it off.."

Greg held up his hand to silence him. "We have a man up there. It's Ed, Ed Lane. Winnie is in there too. We aren't sure what's going on yet but we intend to find out. All we know is that my TL was up there with some others," He didn't want to mention who the others were because that would have opened a whole other can of worms. "A few men came in and overpowered Ed while he was unarmed. We can't give you much after that although we do know that there were four shots fired, and none since. That was about ten minutes ago." Greg said. "Now I'd appreciate it if you let us handle this. It's my man up there and I need to know what's going on." Before he let the commander speak, he looked at Spike. "We don't need floor plans, we know this place inside out. For now see what you can to get some eyes in, quickly." Spike nodded and ran off without looking back.

"Commander," Greg continued. "Please tell your men to stand down. We need to form a perimeter around the building of at least 200 feet in case anything goes wrong. We aren't sure what kind of weapons these men hold and what they are capable of, and we sure as hell can't take the risk. My team is already one short. I can't let distractions get in the way." He said. The commander agreed and walked toward the officers telling them to stand down.

"Leah, I need you to be sierra one. Do you think you can handle it?" Greg asked.

"Yeah boss, no worries." She said calmly. "I'll get into position."

"Good, now go." Greg stood there for a moment and rubbed his temple. His patience was growing thinner as the minutes past. There was still no word from Ed. He didn't know what to think.. nor did he even want to think. His thought processor wasn't functioning correctly and he wasn't going to tolerate that. His team needed him to lead them, to tell them that everything was going to be okay. To tell them that Ed was going to walk out of there at any minute now, healthy and happy. But he couldn't. It was more himself wishing that than anyone else. His adrenaline was working overtime. A lump formed in Greg's throat at he imagined his friend in pain. "Spike!"

_"Yeah, Boss, I'm attempting to hack into the CCTV's in the station. It seems as though these men entered some type of malware into the security system and I'm trying to break through, but it's complex. It's in a double numerical format, it's going to take some time."_

"We don't have time Spike!" Greg snapped, unable to compose himself.

_"I know boss, I'm sorry. But.. oh wait hey I think I've found a loophole in the code. Give me a minute. Yeah! There we go, Boss I'm rebooting the system now."_

"Alright Spike, I'm headed your way" Greg said as he made his way to the Mobile Command Truck. "Leah, you in position yet?"

_"Seconds away, Boss."_ She said breathlessly as she made her way up to the roof of the closest building next to HQ. It wasn't a great vantage point but it was all they had at the moment.

Greg took a moment to listen to Jules on the com, she had some information for him from the boys. What she told him didn't make him feel any better. In fact, it made him feel even worse. "Alright Jules," He said. "Keep us updated."

He entered the Mobile Command just seconds before the system had finished rebooting. Spike was typing busily at the computer. "Okay boss, I'm in, I just need to.. Okay yeah, here we go. On screen."

The scene that came up before their eyes was almost enough to make Greg hurl. "Oh my God" was all he heard Spike say. "Oh my God..no"

Greg sat there stunned. What he saw was what he was fearing most of all, the worst outcome possible. The words were there but he could barely form them out of his mouth. A wave of terror crashed over him as he stood there looking into the screen which was showing live footage. Spike had pushed himself back from the table and laid his head on the palms of his hands, unable to look anymore. Greg noticed Spike was talking quietly to himself, praying. Greg wiped a stray tear from his eye and stood. They had to move quickly There wasn't much time at all.

_"Sam, Jules come up to HQ right away."_

**_A/N: Sorry guys, I'm making this up as I go. I thought it up in my head but I'm also trying to add detail and emotion. This is my very first fanfic so please don't forget to review. Thanks._**


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was moving in slow motion. Nothing seemed to be moving quick enough to satisfy Greg Parker. Even his own heart rate had slowed to a crawl. His breathing, barely audible. He was stuck in time. Seconds ticking away as if they were minutes. Minutes as if they were hours. His frame of mind frozen, altering time itself. He was a complete blank. The only thing that would register to him was what he was looking at. What Spike couldn't stand to look at anymore. Was he an inconsiderate fool to just sit there and stare? Did it fascinate him.. interest him? Hell no. In fact, it was destroying him from the inside out. He had never felt such a horrible sensation until that time and place, it was an instance that would be burned into his mind for the rest of his living days. Enough to drive any ordinary caring person to their last lengths of sanity. Greg's stomach turning in places and shapes he could've never imagined. Greg pressed the back of his hand to his mouth in order to compose himself, he stood up right and left the command center without a word. Outside he began pacing, practically working a rut into the street. He removed his cap, wiped his brow with his sleeve and placed the cap back into it's original position. His face showed the look of agonizing fear and pain. He never skipped a beat as he continued to pace back and fourth. His heart racing, adrenaline pumping, and even though he was not looking anymore, all he saw was the image on that screen.

"Son of a bitch" Was all he could say. "Son of a bitch.."

"Boss?" Sam and Jules had been standing there for about a minute or so and Greg had never even noticed them. "Boss?" Sam said again, more warily as he realized the current state that Greg was in. Sam and Jules exchanged looks as they put the pieces together and began to realize what was happening. Jules responded without thinking, she clasped her hands over her mouth and turned away from Sam and Greg. Sam was watching his boss intently, afraid to even speak. He stood there for what seemed like forever, fighting his urge to grab his boss by the shoulders and shake him back to reality. He knew that would of helped nothing, it would of just made things worse than they already were. How could things be any worse? He didn't know. All he knew was that the internal argument he was having with himself was giving him a headache, on top of the migraine he already had. Roughly one minute had passed and Sam couldn't hold himself back anymore. "Boss I need to see." He said as he bolted into the command room before anyone could stop him.

This seemed to have brought Greg back to reality as he realized what Sam was doing. "Sam, don't!" He said, but it was already too late.

The first thing Sam saw before anything else was Spike. He was sitting it the chair, his head in his hands. He could tell he was crying. His hands wet from tears and his nose running. He tried to hide it but unsuccessfully. This alarmed Sam a great deal and his first instinct was to go and comfort his friend. Then he saw it. Spike had managed to get into the CCTV's in the station and they were working. The cameras up and running, fully functional. No audio however. Sam diverted his eyes on to the main screen, where the scene he saw crushed him. There, on live video, were four men. All of them dressed in thick coats, they ranged from freakishly huge to childishly small. Out of pure profiling instinct, Sam immediately guessed that the smallest of the men was no more than sixteen years old. He was scared, fidgety, and most profoundly, he was kneeling over a body. Sam recognized the body almost instantly and made a run for the door without looking back. He did not want to look at it anymore, he wanted it out of his mind. He wanted… he wanted to kill something. Someone. The rage was building inside of him, and he couldn't contain it. He grabbed the closest item within range - a folding chair - and tossed it as hard as possible, crying out in rage. The chair smashed into the window of a cruiser, blasting it to pieces. He squatted down on his knees and covered his face with his hands, shaking back and forth repeating "no no no" over again silently to himself. Greg watching him the entire time, not making a single move to stop him. His fist over his mouth in an attempt to compose his emotions. Jules ran up to Sam and embraced him to the best of her ability.

Only minutes had passed since Spike had first pulled up the footage, but it had felt like hours. The team's emotions were all over the place. Greg knew this was wrong. It was so wrong. He had to be strong for his team. He had to be strong for Eddie. He wiped tears away from his eyes and walked back into the truck. "Team, I need you." Greg started. "I need you more than ever before. We have a member of our own team in there. He is hurt. He needs us to be better than this. He has a family." Greg paused, holding back more tears. "A really big family. Ed is strong. He can fight through this, I know he can. He has saved so many lives before, not asking for a single 'thanks' in return. Eddie has a big heart. It's time we show it to him that we are willing to go above and beyond for him. It's time for him to be saved. If we owed anything less to him, I wouldn't be standing here right now telling you guys this. Eddie is like a brother, no he IS my brother. He is _OUR_ brother. He is one of the main reasons why I am here today. Why all of you are here today. He is Team Leader of Team One in the Strategic Response Unit. Priority of Life can suck it for all I care right now. The only priority is Eddie. We need to get him and Winnie out as soon as possible. Winnie appears to have no harm and I intend to keep it that way. Team One, are you with me?"

Sam was the first to reply, his voice firm and determined. "I'm with you boss"

"Boss, always with you" came Spike's voice.

"I'm with you" Jules and Leah said at the same time.

"Good. Now let's do this."

* * *

The first thing he felt were his fingers. They didn't feel right. They burned like they had been branded with hot coals. Ed tried yelling out in pain, he wanted to escape it, the pain that was coursing through his fingers, up to his arms and then his chest. He felt trapped, the blindness overwhelming him. Panic had started to settle in. He didn't know what was going on, his body felt like it was floating in air, burning in the pits of hell. His thoughts were lost to him, slipping in and out of consciousness. He just wanted the pain to go away, he wanted an easy way out of this, but something told him to stay, something in the back of his mind telling him to not give in. As he started to grow more aware of the parts of his body, the more painful it became. He tried so hard to move, to feel something in his grasp. Ed gained control of his hand, moving it semi-consciously close to himself. He felt something hot and wet on his side. His eyes, still trying to adjust to the blackness, were darting back and forth in effort to catch a glimpse of anything. He was dazed, confused. What was going on. He tried to remember. Despite his best efforts, his mind was not responding correctly. Ed knew something was wrong, he knew something had happened. Was he shot? Memories flashed through his head. Yes he was shot. That explains the hot, wet feeling he had felt with his hand, on the side of what he thought was his own body. Yes, it was. He had been shot. He was bleeding out.

Ed suddenly felt a huge amount of pressure on his chest and realize he couldn't breathe. He took in a huge breath, or at least, he tried to. Pain shot up his body like he had been stabbed with a thousand knives all at once. Collapsed lung, he thought to himself. His mind was becoming clearer, he realized. The pressure grew more and more intense as Ed continued to try and breathe. His vision was blotchy but he could make out shapes now. Lightness, and dark. Moving objects. Human forms.

The pain never seemed to want to let up, but Ed noticed that it didn't bother him as much anymore. He realized he was beginning to go into shock. How many times had he been shot? He didn't know. All he knew was that the situation wasn't good. He composed his fear and began his sniper breaths, to help slow his heart rate and slow the process of him bleeding out. It was very difficult but he managed.

He had gathered the strength to move his hand up to his stomach, feeling nothing but wet, as if he were soaked in his own blood. Maybe he was. It would explain the burning pain he was feeling throughout his whole body. He was shot, more than once. A few times. His memory was coming back to him.

A boy. Ed remembered a boy. A scared little boy, no older than Clark. With those.. men. The men at the station. A wave of pain crashed over Ed and he moaned weakly in protest. It was the most excruciating pain he had ever felt in his life. He just wanted it to go away, he wanted to feel nothing. But something nagging at the back of his head, pressing the urge to fight. He knew he was dying. He knew he had lost a lot of blood. Something was holding him there. Unwilling to let him go. What was it? He thought through his daze. He didn't know, all he knew was that he had to fight. He wasn't ready to die yet.

Ed felt the pressure on his chest intensify greatly and the pain shot up through him like rocket fuel ignited by a blow torch. The pain was too much for his weak body to handle, and he fell back into complete unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Heads up, this chapter contains mild language and minor sexual content.**

"Sarge" A voice came over the com that Greg didn't immediately recognize. "I'm tired of being forced to be on standby. Screw the commanding officer's orders, my team and I can help. Anything you need, we've got your back." It was Donna. He had almost forgot that she was even here. She knew and respected Ed just as much as anyone of them did, but she didn't know what they saw. Greg contemplated even getting her involved, but he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Okay, Donna you can help." Greg frowned. He wondered to himself how much he should tell her. She would want to know everything that was going on, but he also knew that she wouldn't be on her A game if it became personal. He had to remain professional for his team's sake, and for the sake of his friend Ed. He removed his cap once again and wiped his forehead, becoming annoyed with the sweat buildup on his brow.

"Okay team, we need to find out who these men are, and what they want. This call needs to be neutralized faster than ever before, so no distractions or delays. I want all information on all of these men, I don't care if they forgot to brush their teeth this morning, I want to know about it." Greg called to his team. "Spike, you do intel, Leah I need you to maintain position if possible. Do you have a visual yet?"

"No joy, Boss. HQ wasn't really designed to let outside eyes in." She sighed. "I'm not going to be of any help over here." She removed her view from the windows and started back down the stairs of the building without hesitation.

"Okay, come on back down. You, Jules, and Donna can get into tactical positions, Donna, I need you to set up the rest of your team into sniper positions. We need to find a way in there and asses the situation. We need ears and we need to get ready to move in." He hesitated and rubbed his chin in thought. "I'll do the negotiations."

"Boss, are you sure.." Sam hadn't thought of it before, he realized someone would have to do negotiations, but did they even have time? The state his Boss and everyone on the team were, in his opinion, negotiations were out of the question. Ed was in horrible shape as far as they knew. No one knew the extent of his injuries and how much longer they could afford to delay. "I'm not sure that's the best decision. We don't…"

"I'm aware of that Sam," Greg said. He completely agreed with what Sam was saying but he also was aware that Sam was acting out of emotional distress. "Sam we have to focus on what we need to do. Emotions can't play a part of this." He said this as he doubted himself. 'There isn't any time to banter about this, Sam I need you with me. We're going to move in with Donna, Jules and Leah. Spike, is there any news?"

"Yeah, Boss. I got an I.D. on one of the men. His name is Vlad Gavriil. Multiple charges, assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of manslaughter, one count of first degree murder, and several accounts of rape." Spike said warily. Rape? Not good. He continued without faltering. "It says here that he acts as a hit-man for hire. Those men with him must be his bodyguards or accomplices." Spike told Greg. "I can't get any details on the other men, they aren't in the data banks. Sorry Boss." Spike let out a sigh and sat back in his chair. He wished he could be of more help to the team but no information would come up. He studied the picture on his screen again. "Wait, boss, I didn't check the kid."

"Good, Spike, see if you can find out who that kid is. And I also want to know why the hell this man is not behind bars. Can you give me some information about that?" Greg said as he, Jules, Donna and Sam were gearing up to enter the building.

"Yeah, they had a warrant for his arrest but he fled to his country. Our jurisdiction doesn't cover that area so they weren't able to deport him back here to stand trial. He was staying in Russia to lay low. Until now, that is." Spike commented snidely.

"Okay," Greg answered. "I need you to find out why he is here now, and what he is trying to accomplish today. We need that intel quickly, so get on it. Alright team," he was now talking to the others, "Let's go, time to move in."

Greg, Leah, Donna and Sam quietly and discreetly made there way to the building's front doors. Sam pulled the reflection pole and aimed it to entrance to see if any dangers were present. "All clear." He said as they prepared to enter the building. Sam was lead, and the first to go in followed by the others. Armed and at the ready, they began to move forward, observing their surroundings for any possible threat. They were about halfway into the building when a slight snapping sound alerted them. "What was that?" Sam said. The team regrouped and has their Rem's trained to shoot anything that moved in a moment's notice.

"Boss, status?" came Spike's voice, a hint of worry in it.

"We're good in here," He replied. "Can you see anything from your view?"

"No deal, I can't see anything you aren't seeing. My vantage is clear. Do you have a POE?" Spike asked as he was running the facial recognition software on what he hoped was a good enough picture of the boy's face. It finally registered to a minor named Vladimir Gavriil. "Wait, that can't be right." He said to himself as he scratched his head in confusion. He checked back to the other man's profile and found that no children were in his name. The record showed that this man was a widow and had no children. It's possible that this boy was hiding under his name, but why? Spike was trying to put the pieces together but none of them would fit. It's possible that this boy was his son, but Spike couldn't figure out how. He scrolled down to look at the child's information, and was alarmed by what he saw. He knew then right away that all of these men were part of one family.

"Yes," Greg answered. We have POE, the stairway seems clear. Heading up now." He whispered to his team. "Sam take lead."

"Boss, you need to get out of there now. Get out now!" Greg was startled by Spike's tone of voice. He immediately signaled to the team to pull back right away without thinking twice. They paused in the doorway waiting for further instruction from their eyes in the truck. Greg's breath quickened and his heart was practically bursting out of his chest.

"What's wrong Spike? What did you find?," Greg said quietly, maintaining control in the volume in his voice.

"All of these men are under the same name, I should've noticed before. They are all brothers, all experts in weapon tech. They've been in hiding and their entire lives have been in secret. I got the list of names off of the boy's profile as possible acquaintances. The bot is flagged as a high risk abduction case."

"Okay Spike, but what does this have anything to do with what we are in here doing right now?" His voice showing a tone of annoyance with Spike. This was relevant but it wasn't any damn reason to stop advancing, they needed to reach the subjects as soon as possible.

"Boss," came his reply. It sounded almost like he was yelling. "One of these men, their specialty is bombs!" He shouted.

Greg didn't waste a moment. He signaled the team to make a go for the exit. They were suddenly very vulnerable and exposed. "Go go go get out!' He kept saying. They were about thirty seconds from their entrance point when Greg noticed a snapping sound again, from when they first walked in. In less than a second, he knew what it was. A motion detector. "GO! NOW!" He shouted, not bothering to control his voice anymore. Before anyone had the chance to clear the exit, multiple devices exploded all around them.

The blast forced Greg off his feet and he was flung backwards, smacking into a wall hard and falling on the ground while debris collapsed all around him. Dust and debris everywhere, he was dazed and confused. The blast only lasted a second, but it felt like he sat there for hours. While Greg was trying to clear his head, the dust started to settle and he realized he was at that perfect position in which he didn't receive any serious injury by chance. Greg cursed his luck. He checked himself over and noted that the force of the blast made him drop his gun, and his earpiece was nowhere to be found. His eyes were watering as he tried to stand and look around. He began coughing from inhaling too much dust particles into his lungs, his chest itching like mad. "Sam, Jules? Donna? Status?" He said between coughs. "Team, status now!"

The blasts from the building were so massive that they shook the truck that Spike was sitting in at the time. "Boss!" He shouted, running outside into the massive cloud of dust. Vision was impossible and he couldn't see anything beyond the front doors. "Boss? Status!" His voice filled with fear as the memories of his best friend being killed in an explosion flooded his mind. "Boss, talk to me dammit. Please tell me you are okay." Spike felt like his world was crashing around him bit by bit. First Lew, then Ed sitting there dying right before his eyes, now the rest of his team. He wiped away the tears that were threatening to form. "Dammit someone respond, please."

* * *

"Why did you do that?" The boy asked. "We weren't supposed to kill or hurt anyone else. My assignment was Greg Parker only." He was talking to the leader, also known as Vlad, his voice shaking and showing signs of fear. "And, it was supposed to be me. I was to be the one to kill him. Now you've gone and done it. The place is surrounded, and it's all because you couldn't hold your temper!" His voice became stronger as he talked. "You fool, you've gotten us all killed." He pointed to Vlad accusingly.

Vlad, placing the still warm gun into his jacket pocket, walked briskly up to the boy and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, lifting him off the floor. "If I'm not mistaken," He began. "It was _you_ who asked for our help to complete this mission." He breathed into the boy's face, his voice smelling thick of alcohol and cigars. He threw the boy backwards, causing him to fall on the ground. "If it wasn't you asking,_ little brother_, I wouldn't even of bothered. I am doing you a favor. However," He looked at the fallen officer. "Things got complicated. I had to improvise. This man is still alive for now, so nothing to worry about. He'll make good collateral."

"Still alive?" The boy answered. "One look at him will tell you that he is going to die any minute now if no one helps him. I know I was supposed to kill someone but I wasn't ready to be responsible for two deaths. maybe we just need to back off now at head back home. Just put this guy out of his misery, the look on his face is dreadful enough. I was taught to kill cleanly, not watch the person suffer."

"You wuss. Shit happens okay? You might of not wanted to kill more than your objective, but our orders, " He gestured to the two other men standing silently, "Are not the same as yours." He smirked. He took a few steps over to the man who called himself Ed Lane. "My orders were to make sure you didn't fail. No matter what the cost." He took his finger and pressed it into one of the innocent man's bullet holes, causing the man to cringe involuntarily. He laughed and kicked the man in his side. When he didn't get a response from the limp body, he grew bored and walked off.

"How is this protecting me? You have achieved the attraction of the entire police force of Toronto. I'm not familiar with how this works in this country, but I'm sure killing a police officer means that they will kill you in jail." The boy's voice faltered. He withdrew and hid his face from the man who began to stare at him with eyes of rage.

"Do you think I don't know what I'm doing?" He said, fire in his eyes. "I've done this for twelve years now. I'm pretty sure I can handle a few brainless cops." He looked to Ed and spat. "Damn cops, they they own the law. Pieces of shit."

The boy walked over to the unconscious officer and knelt down. Vlad stood and made his way over to the security desk where Winnie laid there, tied up like a hog. This pleased Vlad and his curiosity got the best of him. "Hey pretty lady, you look like you could use a good time. He advanced to her, and despite her struggling, his lips locked with hers and he began to kiss her vigorously. Winnie could feel him being aroused and it disgusted her. She found his vulnerable position and kneed his groin as hard as she could. Vlad stumbled back and gasped in pain as his hands went to the painful source as to comfort it. His eyes flashed with rage again and he slapped her with the back of his hand so hard it caused her to fall backwards and whimper in pain from the shock to her face. "You stupid bitch. No one treats me that way, not even a little slut like you." He stood and spat in her general direction. "Maybe I can keep you as a little souvenir for our trip back." He said, then laughed, rounding back and kicking her hard in the stomach, causing her to recoil in pain.

"Vlad, one of our motion detectors have gone off on the first floor. I think the cops are trying to make a move on us." One of the men said as he looked into a box shaped device that had switches and lights, and one of the lights had blinked red, while the rest of them were a steady green.

"See, I told you baby brother." The boy cringed at the words. He didn't like being called 'baby brother.' The man who was called Vlad pointed to the device. "I know exactly what I'm doing. It wasn't hard placing a few things here and there around the bottom floor. It was only a matter of time before the officers would come barging in look for one of their own." The boy looked at the device and his eyes widened.

"Is that what you had in the bags? A bunch of bombs?" The boy said while he was looking at the officer he was kneeling over, contemplating whether he was concerned about him or not. The pained expression on the cop's face was enough to make the small boy's stomach flip around. The poor man was bleeding out from multiple gun shot wounds. He was unresponsive and blood as dark as crimson was coming from is mouth. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last, but he noticed the way the man was breathing, it seemed controlled. "Sir, can you hear me?" He said quietly.

Vlad seemed as though he didn't hear the last words the boy muttered under his breath. "Yes, of course, I wasn't about to come in ill-prepared. We'll make a clean get-away with the distraction of dead bodies." He chuckled to himself. "Those two would be dead weight, sadly." He said, referring to Ed and Winnie. "But, I'm more than willing to enjoy a little time with that little lady over there."

Winnie's face was twisted in horror and tears were streaming down her face as she sat there, wishing she was able to comfort Ed and tell him that everything was going to be okay. Truth is, she didn't know if it was going to be okay. All she could hope was the team would come through for them, despite all odds, they would be able to save Ed's life and rescue her from the captors.

The man walked up to her and knelt down. He stroked her face gently, in the same place where he had struck her once before, the spot being swollen and beginning to bruise. "That's too bad though, such a pretty lady, would make a good trophy back at home. The fun I could have with her." He said, his lips close to hers again. She pulled back, her face turning away in defiance. He made a move and grabbed her by her neck and squeezed. Winnie could feel the crushing grip on her and began to panic. "Pretty little lady," He said again. "you know you wish you could come with me. I'd give you the time of your life. I'd make you scream so hard, but we both know you'd enjoy it." He moved close to her face and licked it, his disgusting breath made Winnie feel nauseous. He made a move to slip his hand under her pants. With one hand, he began to unbutton her pants and started to reach down when one of the men called him. He cursed silently and pulled his hand back. Winnie whimpered and sighed in relief. It was short lived when the man tightened his grip on her neck and squeezed harder, making it difficult for her to breathe. Winnie stared in horror as her vision clouded and the sensation of her neck bones feeling like they were being crushed caused her to panic. "You dumb bitch, I'll have my way with you, and I'll have it now if I damn well please!" Seconds before Winnie lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, he release his grip, leaving her gasping for breath and collapsing in a heap at his feet, the pain too much for her to bear. "Don't worry lovely," He said as he moved in closer, biting at her ear and then her lip. "dead weight or not, you'll make good collateral." He sneered as he jerked her hair back and started to kiss her vigorously again. Being unconscious, she was unable to struggle to defend herself as Vlad shifted his weight on top of her, longing to make his move on her sooner, rather than later, when the man called Vlad over again, his voice reluctant as he stared eagerly.

"SHIT man... What do you want, I was in the middle of something!" He said as he dropped Winnie's limp, unresponsive body, stood up and calmly walked away.

"Sorry, Vlad. You got me eager, mind if I have a go?" Vlad gave him a glare and the man continued." Um.. but it's those stupid officers. They aren't holing back.. I wanted to let you know that we have confirmed that there are officers in the building on the lower levels." He paused, waiting for him to respond, and when he just stared, the man continued. "Quite a few on the detectors have gone off now, indicating multiple officers."

"Well of course you dumb ass, they wouldn't just send in one officer." He laughed. "I think it's time we made our move." He gestured toward the man. "I'll grab the girl, flip the switch." He said as he walked over to the unconscious lady and picked her up roughly. "Come on beautiful, I'm not done with you yet." He said as he threw her over his shoulder.

"But, Vlad!" The boy called out. "What about the objective? And what about him?" He pointed to Ed, a pained expression across his face.

"Don't worry about the objective anymore boy, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be down there with the rest of the others." He smiled, showing all of his missing and rotting teeth. "Kill two birds with one stone. They won't ever reach him in time to save him," he said, nodding in Ed's direction. "They'll be too many dead ones to worry about. Now, let's go. Get your weapons ready, enough delay." He turned his head and was talking to the bomb specialist in one brief moment. "Blow it dammit! Do it now!"


	6. Chapter 6

**26 minutes 54 seconds since reports of shots fired in SRU Headquarters**

**2 minutes 32 seconds since bomb detonation**

"Team! Status!" Greg coughed as he tried to remove debris that were blocking his path. His mind was racing, adrenaline pumping. No one was answering his shouts no matter how loud he was. "TEAM!" He shouted as he strained himself to lift a large piece of rubble that had collapsed from the ceiling. As this point in time he didn't really care about the structural damage. He didn't care about the possibility of the building falling on him. Only thing on his mind was to find his team. He needed to make sure that they were okay. "Team I need your status now dammit!" He said, almost begging.

"Boss? Come on Boss, talk to me. Sam, Jules?" Spike had his fingers pressed to his earpiece as he called out desperately. "Anyone?" He asked. Spike was an emotional wreck. None of his team was answering, Ed was up there possibly dead if not from the gun shots, then from the men who were holding him hostage. Winnie was also stuck up there with a serial rapist, Spike didn't even want to think about it

He was expecting a small bomb, at least to cause extensive damage to the bottom floor. What he didn't expect was the whole building to react the way it did. The explosion, or explosions, Spike figured, were small and minor. It was at least enough force to cause the whole building to vibrate, possibly causing damage. And one of the bombs had been next to the window that his truck was parked twenty feet away from. He sighed, wishing he wasn't the only one to get lucky. The building was a structural disaster, threatening to partially collapse any second now. All of the bottom floor of HQ was ruined. This is where his team was.

Spike studied the building's front entrance as the dust began to settle and weighed his options. It had been about two minutes since any of his team was responsive. Police were swarming the building and the firemen were pushing everyone back shouting commands that Spike didn't hear because he was blocking it all out. His ears still ringing from the initial blast. He couldn't just stand around doing nothing. His work at the command post was futile at this point.

Spike decided he couldn't wait any longer, he ran into the command truck and grabbed a few things he thought he might need. His Rem, an oxygen mask and a few tools to help clear a path if necessary. He walked back out of the truck and began walking toward the building ignoring the shouts and warnings from fellow officers and firemen. Commander Holleran ran to him and stood in front of him, blocking his path. Sticking his hand out, he pressed it firmly against Spike's chest as a warning.

"Get out of my way," He said sternly. "I don't care what you have to say, just get out of my way." Spike continued when the man didn't move. He pushed Holleran to the side and continued to what was left of the front doors. Glass was shattered everywhere and the frame of the door was pushed and twisted in all different shapes as it was blown out of place. The front was still accessible, and Spike could make out a small area where he could squeeze through easily.

"Mike" Holleran called out to him, referring to his original name. "Mike wait, please." He called out. Spike spun around and stared at him, his eyes flaming with determination and fear. Holleran took a breath and walked up to him, putting his hand on his shoulder and gripping it tightly before speaking, his voice strained and his eyes sad, "You bring them home. All of them." He said sullenly. "Be careful, please." He release his grip on Spike's shoulder and backed off. Spike nodded once and turned, heading for the door again.

Greg's breathing became more strained as he continued to breathe in dust. His coughing was burning his lungs as he pushed the pain to the back of his mind. His body sore, muscles tense, he continued to try and locate his team members. "Boss!" he heard someone shout, finally. "Boss, over here." Sam called. "No harm!" Greg spun around and followed his team mates voice, A second later he saw his team mate sprawled across the ground

"Sam! Thank God you are okay. Where is Jules, Donna and Leah? You hear from them?" Greg asked as he helped Sam to his feet. He noticed Sam was covered in cuts and scrapes throughout his arms, but he didn't see any serious injuries. "Sam we need to find the others," He began his search again, Sam at his side.

Sam was generally worried about Jules. The explosions had forced them apart and he had lost his earpiece from the sheer force of the blast, throwing him backwards. He couldn't recall which direction he flew back, he didn't recognize his second home, HQ, at all anymore. Rubble was strewn everywhere. Large pieces, which alarmed Sam. Wires sparked and swung from the ceiling, pieces of the tiled roof missing, exposing the interior designs of the building. Desks, chairs, and paper littered the ground as they walked. Most of the windows had been blasted through and glass could be found anywhere they looked. Sam was observing his surroundings when he was something move. "Boss! Over here!" He shouted to Greg as he made his way to the source. It was Jules and Donna. Jules was supporting her arm against her body while Donna was trying to move a large obstruction from their path. Sam rushed into help her and called out "Jules! Are you okay? Donna?"

"No harm," came Donna's reply. "Jules has an arm injury, it's not too horribly serious, but she needs EMS to look at it as soon as possible." She shouted in reply. "Help me move this!" She coughed. Sam and Donna both grabbing the large obstruction, trying to move it as Jules stood behind her, unable to help, stifling her coughs. Sam just couldn't find the strength to budge the large piece of rubble that blocked his path to the women. He began to groan out in protest as he tried with all his might. Suddenly a second pair of hands showed up next to Sam and offered assistance. Slowly they began to budge the piece bit by bit. Seconds later another pair of hands came into Sam's view and finally they moved it out of the way, throwing it over to the side.

"Jules!" He yelled. He rushed up to her and embraced her in a hug. "Are you alright?" He looked down to check her arm.

"I'm fine" She replied." Where is Leah?" Jules looked around searching the immediate area.

Sam followed her gaze and his eyes found Spike, and then Greg.

"Guys! I'm so glad you are okay. Oh my God I was worried" Spike fumbled. He was speaking quickly and loudly. He noticed Greg had been having difficulty breathing and has handed him his mask "We need to get Jules out of here. C'mon let's go" He motioned Jules to come with him.

"Wait," she coughed. "Where is Leah? We need to find her" Jules winced in pain as she walked past the boys and began. "Leah! Leah can you hear me?" She called out.

"I'm over here" a voice called weakly. "H-Here! Over here." Called Leah.

Jules and the rest of the team turned to the voice in unison and all rushed over at once. Leah had been pinned down on her chest and it was making it difficult for her to breathe. Spike and Sam easily lifted the rubble off of her as she cried out in pain. "Shit" Jules said. "Let's get you out of here Leah" Jules said as she and Sam both lifted her up and wrapped their heads around Leah's arms, Jules faltering slightly.

"Go, Sam, get them to EMT as quick as possible." Greg instructed, he pulled off his oxygen mask and handed it back to Spike. "Spike, Donna, get out of here. I need to get up there. I'm not going back outside of this building without Winnie and Ed." He said.

"Well you better be damn well sure I'm not going anywhere either, Boss." Spike retorted. "I've got your back, like always. Donna nodded in agreement. Greg wasn't in the mood to argue. He directed his next question to his tech specialist.

"Any chance of there being any more bombs in here, Spike?" He asked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that.

"No boss." He answered. "The initial blast would have caused all of the bombs to go off at once." Spike had pulled out his radiation detector from his backpack and it buzzed to life. "The bombs were clean, and small" He sighed, looking at the screen. "That's one less thing we have to worry about." He placed the device back into the back and looked at his boss. " The blast was much bigger than I think it was supposed to be. The whole entire building shook, even the area where Ed and Winnie were last located." Spike rubbed his forehead and tried to think. "The only option we have is the stairs but that's going to be dangerous. I'm not sure how supported they're going to be."

"Alright, Spike, Donna, listen to me carefully. Spike you're going to go in less lethal. Donna I need you to go outside.." Donna began to protest but Greg ignored her. "Please, Donna. I need you to get your team and be prepared to cover all exits to the building. I have a feeling they didn't intend to . This is just a distraction, they are going to try and slip out under the radar. They might have Winnie or Ed or both as hostages so we need to be careful, with a hostage, they might think that they will be able to walk away from all of this." He exasperated sarcastically."I think it's best that we should be less lethal for now. But I need a team outside. Can you do that for me Donna?"

"Yeah, okay Sarge. I'll get right on it." She sighed. "Just get Ed and Winnie out of there please. I'll see you guys later, you get me?"

"We get you Donna, now go." Greg had taken Jules rem that she gave him before she left with Sam and Leah. He looked at Spike, noticing that his eyes were flowing with determination. Greg wasn't too sure of himself. His emotions were getting the best of him. The incident a few minutes ago, when he couldn't find any of his team, ripped him raw. He wasn't about to show it though. Everyone was counting on him to lead on this call no matter what. Anger, fear and hate thoughts began swarming through his mind. He wanted to strangle someone. He was saving his chance, hoping he might get the opportunity to let his anger out later. But the stress was overpowering him to the point of pure exhaustion. He had to pull forward, even if he was half dead he would still push himself to try and save his friends.

"Boss, we can do this. We are so close. We gotta do this." Spike looked at Greg, his eyes glistening with tears he was trying unsuccessfully to hide. The dust circulating, causing him to cough. "It's isn't over yet, dammit." he said. "Let's go" Spike readied his weapon and motioned for Greg to follow him. Walking through what seemed like a labyrinth of desks, chairs, and rubble, they made their way to the stairs. Spike pulled the reflection pole and checked over the corner, inside of the stairwell. He took a moment and looked back at his boss. "All clear, the stairwell looks okay for now."

He started to make his way inside when, for the second time that day, shots rang out.

Everything happened so quickly, as opposed to the rest of the day which had been dragging out as much as it possibly could. Greg was standing behind Spike when he gave him the all clear and started to head in, Greg following close behind. What happened next was a blur. Two shots fired. He heard his team mate cry out in angst and fall back through the door nearly collapsing to the floor before Greg knew what had happened. He quickly went in and caught Spike by the shoulders and pulled him back. "Spike! No!" Greg cried out. He yanked him back quickly, he was slack in his arms.

* * *

**4 minutes 12 seconds since bomb detonation**

"What the HELL! You've gotta be KIDDING me!" Vlad let a stream of curse words escape his mouth as he stood there. "Dude, I said only enough to blast the bottom floor you idiot!" He shouted to the bomb boy. "Now look at what you've done. This is ridiculous. What are we supposed to do now?" He shouted. "We need to get out of here. This is a disaster."

The man he was talking to began to dust himself off. He looked around. The top floor of the building didn't take nearly as much damage as the bottom floor, but it was still damaged to an extent. Glass was shattered in every direction possible, especially where the officer and the boy had been located. He strained his eyes but couldn't spot either one of them behind the doors of the room that had all come crashing down. There wasn't a way in there, not that he could see just by looking. "Vlad, the boy is stuck in there with the officer, do you want us to.."

"Shut up, just shut up." He said without looking at him. "We don't have time. The boy can handle himself. Your dumb ass move here has put a change in our plans. We need to get out of here now. Kill anyone in our path. The boy knew his risks."

"Yeah well, I'm sure he didn't realize his brothers were gonna blow him..." He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence when Vlad walked to him quickly and punched him flat on the ground. He tossed Winnie on the ground and stood above the man.

"YOU are the one who screwed up on this. If anyone is to blame, it's you." He spat. He looked at Winnie who was still unconscious. Leave them, all of them. the boy was a failure anyway. He couldn't complete the mission. He couldn't even look at a half dead man without gagging. " He laughed. "Not worth the time of day. Let's get ready to make our way out of here. Kill anyone in our path, don't you dare hesitate, or I'll kill you." He yelled at the other two men. He walked to the bag full of weapons. "Gear up."

The path was blocked. Everything else was okay, the room covered in glass from the glass door windows that had collapsed everywhere. The boy stood there in shock. For a second, he didn't realize what was going on, but then it hit him. The bombs. Those damn bombs. This was all his fault. He had to ask for their help. He didn't want to kill anyone, he was hoping maybe they would do it for him. A clean kill, get out quick before anyone noticed. No, they had to come in, bombs blazing and guns firing. Those stupid ignorant fools. He cursed himself. He was just as bad as them, they called him an assassin in training. It was only because his family forced him into it. It helped with the money. His dad killing people for hire, it was bringing in the cash, and they were living in the lap of luxury. He wasn't sure why an American man had contacted them to make the kill on this Canadian Police officer. No one explained to him anything. Just that this wealthy business man had a grudge against Greg, enough to want him to die.

The boy wanted nothing to do with this, he didn't even want to be here. His dad suggested that this be his first kill. Not that the boy could say no, he would of been tossed out onto the street like worthless filth. The more he thought about it, the more he began to dread what he had done. Not as though he had a choice. "I've had enough of this" he mumbled to himself.

The boy heard a weak groan, and looked over to the man who called himself Ed Lane. He had noticed that he was semi-conscious, and covered in glass. The blast must of woken him, and he looked scared. The boy walked over to the man and got down on his knees, suddenly feeling very sorry for him. "Hey, it's okay.."

He made the decision right then and there that he was not going to be a part of this anymore. The look on this man's face nearly brought him to tears. How could someone kill someone for no reason, just for the fun of it? He cringed in disgust. This man had a family, he had a wife. The boy had noticed a wedding ring on his hand. He shook his head in disbelief. Maybe I can make this all right, he said to himself. Maybe he could cancel out all the bad he'd done by saving a life. How was he going to do it though? He was surprised that the man was still alive. "You are a fighter." He mumbled to himself. "I'm sorry." he looked at him sorrowfully. "I never meant for this to happen."

The man looked as though he was starting to struggle in his breathing. The boy sat down. "How can I help?" He asked the man. He didn't respond. "Hey, hey, you can stay with me can't you?" He began. For some reason this man reminded him of his father. He was tough, he didn't show pain when was shot during a home invasion. He wasn't sure why, but Ed Lane showed no pain. It wasn't as though he couldn't. He could tell that the man was trying to control his breathing.

His breathing became more and more labored as the minutes past. The boy realized that he would have to do something. He grabbed the man, and with enormous effort, dragged him to the wall and helped him sit up straight against it. His head slumped sideways as the boy steadied him. "Hey, sir? Can you hear me?" He asked. He didn't expect a response, as the man lay there. Looking at his bullet hole, and how much it was bleeding, he realized that the man was losing way too much blood. "Okay" the boy mentally said to himself. "Okay" he took off his jacket and pressed it against the open wound, applying pressure. "Just, hang in there, alright? Someone will be here soon to help..." He said. The man didn't respond. The boy took his pulse, he had learned to do that in school once before.. being taught the bascis of medical care. This was far from basic, but in his mind, he was willing to help as much as he could. The young, worn boy had a hard time finding it, realizing it was very weak. "Hey, come on, just keep fighting. You don't deserve to die." The boy said, a tone of anger in his voice. "This is bullshit." he muttered as he continued to apply pressure on the wound, which to him, looked to be the worst one he had.

The boy jumped slightly as he heard two gunshots in the distance.

**Hey, do you guys like my story so far? Please review they are very helpful and encouraging. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**34 Minutes 22 seconds since first shots fired at SRU Headquarters.**

_Two shots fired. He heard his team mate cry out in angst and fall back through the door nearly collapsing to the floor before Greg knew what had happened._

_He quickly went in and caught Spike by the shoulders and pulled him back._

_"Spike! No!" Greg cried out. He yanked him back quickly, he was slack in his arms._

"Spike!" Greg yelled again, pulling him back farther from the doorway as more shots rang out. He backed himself against the wall next to the door, pulling Spike close to his chest as he sat down, willing the door to shut. "Spike, don't do this to me." Greg instinctively went to check his pulse, fearing the worst for his friend.

"Boss, it's kay" Spike stirred. "Took it in the.. took it in the vest. I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me." He was under his own willpower as he began to stand up. He flinched again when more shots were fired.

Greg sighed a silent relief before he stood up, helping Spike steady on his feet. "Alright Spike. I need you to radio in to Donna and her team and let them know that we have a visual on the subjects. Have their snipers ready and wait for my signal. Visual shouldn't be too hard now that all the windows have shattered.. but they're no windows in the stairwell, so tell them to stand by. Are you okay to continue?" He added.

Spike nodded as he relayed the information to the others. "Boss we're in position." came Sam's reply. "Can you get them out of the stairwell and into sight?"

There were so many questions that popped into Greg's head when he heard that his team mate was on the other end of the line. Was Jules okay? Was Leah okay? However, there wasn't any time to dwell on current events. He needed to focus on the priority of their mission first. "We're gonna try. Does anyone have visual on Ed or Winnie?" He asked.

"I have it" came the reply of one of Donna's team mates. Greg and Spike's heads popped up at the same time as their eyes widened. Both of them flinched backwards again as more shots were fired. "What's their status?" Spike asked quickly, ignoring the ringing in his ears.

"Officer Winnie is unconscious but looks to be in good condition. I see no physical wounds on her from here. She is breathing okay."

Spike let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Okay, and what about Ed?"

"Not good. He looks like his chest is rising and falling but it's hard to tell from this angle. There is a child with him, it looks as though he is holding pressure to his wounds. Officer.." The man corrected himself, "Uh, Ed is covered in a lot of blood. Can't confirm all of it is his, but can't say it isn't." He paused, giving Spike the chance to interrupt.

"The boy?" He asked, throwing a confused look in Greg's direction. "I had thought that the boy was a part of this. Unless…" He trailed off in thought.

"What's on your mind Spike?" Greg asked.

The look of sudden realization crossed Spike's face, and he spoke slowly. "This was supposed to be the boy's kill. It's a test. An initiation type thing." Spike looked down to the ground as the talked. "Something tells me that the boy backed off."

"Backed off?" Greg exasperated. "I'm not sure he backed off Spike. What about Ed?" He growled, a hint of distaste in his voice. "Something tells me that it's a bit late to back off now."

Spike and Greg fell further back as a new stream of shots were heard blasting through the wall in the stairwell. "We don't have time for this now. We'll talk about it later." Greg said. "Spike, let me take lead, the best I can do right now is try and talk these men down. If they don't listen to reason, then we have very few options, we're going to have to go in hard." Greg sighed. "If Ed's condition is deteriorating as rapidly as we think it is, I'm not willing to waste any time taking stupid demands and talking these men down. Something tells me that's not going to happen. Since they don't have the hostages with them, we are going lethal now." Greg situated himself next to the stairwell, Spike close behind weapon at the ready.

"This is Sergeant Greg Parker," He said to the men, while opening the door to the stairwell. He braced himself, expecting to hear more gunfire. "I'm with the Strategic Response Unit. Please put your guns down, I want to talk to who is in charge."

Silence. Then a man with a thick Russian accent answered. "Greg Parker?" Greg couldn't see the man or recognize the voice so he just stood there waiting for the man to continue talking. "You're Greg Parker? The man my pathetic brother was contracted to kill?"

Greg froze at the words, he looked at Spike and they both exchanged looks of realization.

"Well, shit. That's too bad. I was going to give him some of the credit of the bombs to him, but I guess that didn't work either." He scoffed. "Now Greg, see here. I believe we have met at a conflict of interest. Me and my buddies want to get out of here. A couple buddies of yours upstairs, probably want to be out of this situation as well. Especially officer Ed Lane." Greg cringed at the way the man said his name. "Why don't we make an arrangement. You come to me, and do as I tell you, and I'll give your friends one of my hostages. I'll even be nice and let you have Ed. The woman I won't be so eager to let go."

Spike's temper flared momentarily as the man spoke of Winnie. Yes, he had a crush on Winnie. Yes, she'd turned him down. He cared for her a lot and he never cared for anyone speaking bad about her. He took a step closer but Greg held him at bay. "Wait," He said calmly. Then he spoke to the man. "How is my guy doing up there?"

"Not so good, I suggest you make your decision quickly. His life depends on it." He sneered.

Greg sat there for a moment, contemplating his situation. Ed was in critical condition, he needed help right away. These men were here to kill him and not Ed. Ed just happened to get in the way. He just happened to be the innocent victim in all of this. Greg's mind was running in circles. If it had been him up there, then none of this would've happened. He would be dead, yes, but his team would of been safe as well. They would track down the son of a bitch that did this. The team would bond together like never before in attempt to catch their Boss's killer. It was always like Greg to put his team first, he wasn't about to do any different today. He secretly wished to himself that it was him up their dying right now. It would hurt less for him to die than for him to deal with the death of his best friend. Tears clouded his vision as he fought them off. He would have to give them his life in order to save Ed. That is, if they even kept of their side of the bargain. Greg would have no choice but to trust them. "Spike," He said quietly. "Does anyone have the solution?"

Spike relayed the question and received as answer. "No joy Boss, the outside stairwell doesn't have any windows."

Greg sighed and looked into Spike's eyes sadly. He was glad that he wasn't on coms, for once. "Spike, I'm sorry. It's the only choice."

Spike studied the look on his Sergeant's face. When he realized what the boss was thinking, he held in a gasp. "No, Boss, you can't. Don't do it." He grabbed Greg by the shoulder and held him firmly, as to not ever let him go. "Boss, we can figure another way. There has to be something else we can do. Anything."

Greg shook his head and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I have to do this Spike. It's the only way Ed has a chance. These men are more than willing to stand off for as long as it takes. We don't have time for it. Ed will be dead by then."

"And who the hell is to say that they will keep their word!?" Spike yelled angrily. He wasn't believing the words that were coming out of his Boss' mouth. His best friend, who was like a second father to him. Always there when he needed him, a shoulder to cry on when Lew died. He couldn't just sit here and let his boss give into these men's commands. "Sam, dammit! We need a solution." He cursed loudly when he was given the same response as before. Looking back up to Greg, "Boss, if there was any other way.."

"I know Spike. But there isn't. I'm sorry. For Ed's sake I have to do this. The only thing we can do is trust these men." Greg responded, not believing in his own words. He was built to protect his team at whatever cost, but was this going too far? It took him a less than a moment to convince himself that the answer to that question was no. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to protect his team. His family. Greg stood, placing down his weapon and before Spike had time to stop him he walked into the door with his hands held up in surrender.

"I'm ready." He said quietly, "I'll make the trade."

Spike acted without thinking, a split second decision. "Wait!" He called from behind. Greg looked at him in horror as he threw his weapon down and walked to the inside with his hands also held up in surrender. "I'm coming with him."

* * *

"Hey, Ed. Stay with me." The boy called him by his name. "Come on, your people are coming for you. Stay with me a little longer." The boy looked frantically around for any type of communications device that he could use. There wasn't even a scrap of paper or a pencil to be seen. It was one of those few times where the boy actually wish he had a mobile device. He'd always been denied one because everyone said they were so easy to track. Well, what good was that anymore?

The unconscious man had lost complete control of his breathing and was sitting there staggering for the slightest breath. The boy had sat him up straight to try and help him breathe easier but it had only been a momentary fix. The boy stood there helplessly as deep red blood dribbled from the man's mouth and down his chin, dripping on his shirt.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He kept saying. "Sorry sorry sorry," He realize this wouldn't be enough to change things. He just couldn't stop saying it as tears started flowing down his face. He scrunched his eyes tightly wiping his eyes with his newly bloodied sleeve. He sat there in shock for a moment while he stared at it, suddenly overwhelmed by a vision from his past.

_"Dad?" The small boy asked "Dad are you okay?"_

_He was scared, he didn't know what was going on._

_A few really big men had stormed into his house and shot his father and mother while going through their belongings, taking stuff that belonged to his family._

_The boy began to shout at them but they just pushed him to the side as they continued to search through the house._

_The boy had sat there crying for his mother as they left. "Mommy please help daddy! Mommy wake up!"_

_The boy looked down at his hands after trying to shake his mother awake and realized they were covered in blood._

_"Mommy! Mama ! Pozhaluysta, prosypayus', ya lyublyu tebya!" He had yelled over and over in his native tongue._

The boy was brought back from his memories from more gun shots in the distance. His stupid brothers were trying to blast their way out of here. Fools. That would never work. He cursed there stupidity under his breath. He was still holding pressure on Ed's wound. He had got the bleeding to stop but he wasn't about to relax because he knew if he did Ed would start bleeding out again. He didn't think the man could lose much more blood before the inevitable happened. Ed's skin was very pale, clammy. He was covered in cold sweat. Minutes were ticking by and Ed was running out of time.

Suddenly he heard a commotion. The police breaking through? He sighed. He thought maybe he should call out for help but he stopped when he heard his brother's voice. "Get down! I want to see your hands!" He heard. Then he heard a loud thump and a cry. "Stay down, or I'll kill your friend by my own hand!" Vlad warned again. Suddenly his voice was directed to another person. _SHIT!_ the boy thought. _He's got the damn police_. What was he going to do? Was his brother really unstoppable like everyone had always bragged to him? "Okay you, all three of you go and help my brother out of that room. Do it now!" He shouted.

He knew his brother was coming to get him now. He looked back at Ed, with fear in his eyes. Suddenly he had an idea. He stood and called out for his brother. "Brother! Help me! Don't leave me here! I want to come home with you."

His plan? He was going to kill Ed Lane.

_Translation for: "Mama ! Pozhaluysta, prosypayus', ya lyublyu tebya!" (Mommy! Please wake up, I love you!)_

**Sorry the chapter is so short guys. It's been a long day and I had sort of a mini- writers block while trying to write this. I appreciate the reviews, they encourage me to keep writing this story. Even though I'm not getting many, I do find happiness in those that I do have. **


	8. Chapter 8

**42 minutes 55 seconds - gunshots reported -**

_There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to protect his team. His family. Greg stood, placing down his weapon and before Spike had time to stop him he walked into the door with his hands held up in surrender._

_"I'm ready." He said quietly, "I'll make the trade."_

_Spike acted without thinking, a split second decision._

_"Wait!" He called from behind. Greg looked at him in horror as he threw his weapon down and walked to the inside with his hands also held up in surrender. "I'm coming with him."_

"You fool" Vlad pointed his gun to the surrendering officers. "You should have stayed away." He said to Spike. "Come up here. NOW!" He shouted when they hesitated. "You'll come up here with me and we can get this matter settled once and for all. Then, for all I care, you can have your friend's body, what's left of it." Greg fought the sudden urge to tackle the man. He was outnumbered, it wouldn't work with or without Spike, they had a one man advantage on them. He wasn't about to risk his team mates life just because he lost his temper.

Spike and Greg slowly made there way up the stairwell to the men who now had them at gunpoint. One of the unnamed men grabbed Spike and placed his arm around his neck, and with the other hand, pressed the gun against his temple. He looked at his Boss and they shared a glance between each other. Greg was shouting at Spike with his eyes, asking him _why?_

Spike's only reply was to return Greg's look. He couldn't say anything but his face spoke every word. _Because we're family._

Both of them were guided by the four men back to the original room from which they came. Vlad and another man held guns to their heads, not a single tremor in their hands. They were trained, Greg thought to himself. When they reached the room and walked in, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Winnie unconscious on the floor but after a second or two, he realized that she was unharmed.

He looked around for Eddie and the boy but found them nowhere. Greg noticed that the briefing room was completely cut off, the doors had collapsed in on themselves. He wondered if they were stuck in there. Greg shot a glance at Spike and Spike nodded, understanding what Greg was trying to tell him.

They both remained silent as the men instructed Spike to sit down. "Get down! I want to see your hands!" When Spike hesitated for a few moments, Vlad grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him down. He wasn't quick enough to brace himself, he smacked his head against the floor hard and then cried out. "Dammit!" He muttered to himself as he got himself into the sitting position. He was momentarily dizzy and couldn't focus.

"Stay down, or I'll kill your friend by my own hand!" He snapped. He then turned to where Greg assumed Ed and the boy were. "Okay you," He looked at Greg and two of his other men. "All three of you go and help my brother out of that room. Do it now!" He shouted. The men hustled over to the doors followed closely by Greg. It's not as though he was willing to do as he told him, he just wanted to get to Ed. When Greg began shifting the metal frame around to get it out of the way, he heard a child's voice come from the inside.

"Brother! Help me! Don't leave me here! I want to come home with you." Greg heard a hint of fear in the boy's voice but he also heard anger. He had been trained to read people's voices like that but he didn't think that Vlad heard the same thing.

"Don't worry, these men are going to help you out." He responded. He didn't sound pleased about it. Seems as though he was just in a hurry to get out of here. "Then we're going to finish this." He raised his gun and aimed it at Spike's head, and Greg cringed. "Faster!" He yelled. "Time's a wastin!"

"Okay, we have an opening, Vlad. Big enough for us to walk through", the men said after a few minutes of shifting the door around, moving it completely out of place. Greg took the opportunity to rush into the room while the men were distracted. The boy was standing there blocking his path from Ed but when he saw Greg he quickly moved out of the way to let him go past. He froze at the site of his friend laying there.

Ed was barely alive. There was blood everywhere. He was still breathing but barely. Greg rushed over to him and knelt beside him. "Eddie, buddy. Please, Ed. Can you hear me?" He checked his pulse and felt it. It was weak, but it was still there. He was cold, his skin a greyish pale. A gunshot wound to his chest, abdomen, and twice shot in his arm. The wounds were devastating. For a moment, Greg just didn't know what to do. It felt like his own heart had stopped, like all the air had left his body. He covered his hand with his mouth to stifle a cry. "Eddie hang in there. You gotta hang in there for me buddy." He said, and for the first time that day, tears fell freely down his face. The boy just stood there and stared.

He hadn't noticed all of the other men make their way into the room. One of the men dragging Spike with him, the gun still pointed to his head. Spike stumbled when he saw his team leader sitting there. His eyes widened like saucers. "Oh God, Ed." was all he managed to say before the man pistol whipped him to the ground. This attracted Greg's attention and he pulled his eyes away from Ed, unwillingly, to see his tech crumpled on the ground, holding the side of his face.

"Stop. Please don't hurt anyone else. You came here for me, not for them." Greg said to Vlad. The boy looked at Greg when he said this, trying to hide the shock on his face.

"You're Greg Parker?" He asked. His eyes locked on to the man crouched over the shot officer.

"Yeah, I'm Greg Parker, this is my best friend Ed, and over there is another great friend of mine, Spike." He answered. "We all came to help our buddy here. My team member said you were taking good care of him for me. I wanted to thank you for that." Greg looked at the boy in his eyes and was confused at what they were trying to tell him., as they darted back and forth between him, Ed, and Vlad. He almost thought he was trying to figure something out, he wasn't sure.

Vlad looked at the boy and frowned. "So, you're helping them out now, huh? Only took me a moment to leave you and you switched sides as soon as I was gone? You pathetic fool, didn't you learn shit in training?" He walked toward the boy but the boy backed away. He quickly returned his response.

"No." He said flatly. "No way. I'm not flipping sides. No way. Give me the gun." The boy reached for the gun but Vlad instinctively pulled back. Greg looked on cautiously making sure he never took his hand of of Ed while he was keeping track of his pulse. He wanted to stop the boy but at the same time he wanted to make sure he didn't do anything to piss them off, so they wouldn't go after Spike again. He looked over to Spike and noticed him back in the sitting position also looking at the boy, rubbing his head where he was struck with the gun only moments earlier. "Give me the damn gun, I want to finish this." The boy said again. "I want to finish this shit and go HOME!" He yelled. Vlad was less cautious the next time the boy went for the gun in his hand, but he still wasn't willing to give it to him. Greg held back his urge to try and talk the boy down. It didn't really matter now.

"So," The man said. "You're ready to do what we came here for?" The boy responded with only a nod. "Yeah, alright. Well then here, have the damn gun. You can kill all of them. Turns out we won't be going anywhere anytime soon, might as well end it with a fireworks show."

Greg's eyes darted to the man. "But you said you'd let my man go. I have done everything you told me to-" He was interrupted as the man called Vlad handed the boy a small hand gun. The boy blasted a shot to the ground and yelled.

"SHUT UP!" His hand trembling over the trigger of the gun, aimed directly at Greg's head. Spike stirred and started mumbling to himself. It was quiet enough that no one could hear him talking at all, let alone move. Vlad and the other men looked on with eyes that looked like they were eager for blood. He had a huge smile on his face as he looked to his brother, waiting for him to kill.

The boy was scared. He was about to commit a murder, he knew that much. He was supposed to kill Greg Parker. Ed Lane. Spike. That's what he was supposed to do. He fired off a single shot to get everyone to shut up, then almost immediately, he held the gun out to Greg Parker's head. He was trying to think, he didn't know what all was happening. The boy just wanted to get this over with. The pressure was almost too much for him to take in all at once.

But he had an idea. The most clever of ideas. At least he thought it was clever. He was going to kill Ed Lane, Greg Parker, and Spike. Yes, yes he was. Or… he at least wanted everyone to think that he was. The boy cocked the gun and steadied his arm, his face was red with pure rage. His mind was in a totally different place. He raised the weapon.

Before anyone knew what happened, and before Greg or Spike could do anything, he fired.

A body fell to the floor. Smoke escaping from the barrel. The man was dead

Greg had his eyes shut tight, bracing for impact. It never came.

Spike stared in horror. Everything was in slow motion. The boy had his gun pointing to Greg, but moments before he fired he spun around and pointed to Vlad's head. Two gun shots. Vlad crumpled to the floor and everyone, including the boy, were frozen as if nothing had happened, his mouth agape as if he didn't realize what he had just done himself. The two men who were standing next to the now dead man on the ground were too stunned to react immediately. At first they did not realize what had happened. They did not even flinch to the gunshot, that flew right by them. It took a moment for their dead brother on the floor, murdered by their other brother, to register. The boy stood there breathing heavy, his eyes tightly shut.

Only seconds later the men composed themselves. They saw the massacre that laid before them. They both raised their guns at the same moment. One was aimed to the little boy, and the other one at Greg.

"SCORPIO!"

...


	9. Chapter 9

"Spike, Status?"

"I'm good. Stand by, situation is escalating. Wait for my order." Spike whispered. "The boy has a gun on the Boss." He sat there, his eyes focused intently on the gun and the horrified and confused face of his boss. It killed him on the inside to see him like that. His tough, unbreakable leader, on the verge of tears as he sat next to his lifetime friend Eddie, watching him die, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He kept shifting his eyes over to Spike, and back to the gun again. "Please, please don't do this." He begged.

_Typical Boss_ Spike thought. _Still not even concerned about his own well being._

They had both been taken hostage because they, or Greg assumed that Ed was going to be let go for the help that he desperately needed. But as Spike could of guessed, the men weren't going to let any of them go. Of course not. What did they have to lose? Spike knew the Boss' situation, he'd do anything to help his best friends, he'd even consort with the enemy if it meant to protect his team. Spike wouldn't go back and say that he wouldn't go and do the same exact thing that his boss was doing right now. It didn't matter now. They were here, all of them. Sam and team three were in position, and they had the solution. But he assessed the situation. He wasn't sure what the boy was thinking, but he had an idea what was about to happen. This is the only reason why he instructed Sam to hold. It was a big risk, the biggest risk of his career. Even beyond any bomb call that he had ever made in the past. He didn't think the boy was going to pull the trigger. It was dangerous to go on a hunch, and time wasn't something to be wasted.

"We have the solution. Spike," Sam said, his voice edgy. He was exhausted, stressed to his limits and about to just gun his way inside without any order whatsoever. These men had destroyed his second home, hurt his friends and his family, taken them hostage and on top of all that, his best friends was up there dying. And Spike had told him to wait.

"You have to give the command, or I can't shoot. Dammit Spike if you make me shoot without the order-"

"Just wait a second, Sam" he whispered. None of the men noticed that Spike was talking to anyone on his com. They never searched them, or bothered to look for any type of communications. A huge mistake on their part.

After Spike was forced to sit in the small room that they were now all in, he tried his radio communications. Sam was on the other line, and Spike was grateful. "We can't risk the boy firing his gun as a bad reaction. Just hold."

"Spike-"

"I'm here, you're not, Sam! I know what I'm doing. Just wait. I won't hesitate when the time comes. You need to trust me." He answered back.

Sam knew what Spike was trying to do. All of the signs showed that the boy was trying to make good for his actions. Spike didn't want to have Sam kill another innocent. The boy was just under heavy influence. It wasn't enough to convince Sam that he wouldn't still pull the trigger, he would kill a young child if it became necessary. It was part of the job. Ed knew that when he shot and killed that eighteen year old, only to have protected what was originally the threat. He would have Sam do no different in this situation, and Spike knew that. It didn't need to be said.

Sam steadied his rifle and aimed. His sniper breathing was what was keeping him in complete control. If not, by now he'd be an emotional wreck. He'd go in blasting these fools head's off if he really wanted to, if it meant saving his friend's life. He breathed in a deep breath and steadied himself. "Donna, are you guys good?"

"Yeah, Sam. We have the solution." She replied. Her and two of her team mates were situated on the west side rooftop of the building that was directly opposite of HQ. Earlier, they had attempted to gain sniper's advantage but with the windows, it was nearly impossible to get a visual. Post bombs, however, blasted most of the windows and shattered them. Sam, Donna and her team all had clear vantage points now. They just waited for the order.

"Be ready for my word."

Spike looked to the boy and tried to understand what he was thinking. He was trembling, the gun was almost too heavy for him to hold. Yes, this was the first time he'd ever been asked to kill anyone, Spike could tell.

"Sam when I give the signal.." Spike had been told by Sam that he was the one to give the signal if he had to. Greg, the sergeant of their team, and Ed the team leader, were both compromised. Spike was the only one free range without weapon, and Sam was dedicated Sierra One position, Donna was Sierra Two. If Spike was unable to perform the command, then it would be in Sam's best judgement to make the call himself. But for now, they waited. All eyes were on the boy as he continued to stare down Greg with his eyes as hard as stone. Any moment now, the boy would either kill Greg, or put down the weapon. Spike made a mental note to call out to his team member as soon as the boy put his finger on the trigger.

Spike tried to steady himself but he couldn't move much without the man to his left giving him a good swift kick in the stomach. His angle wasn't very good, and he was sure with that last kick, the man might have cracked a few of his ribs. He didn't have much time to worry about that now. Even a few cracked ribs were minor injuries in this situation.

The tech leader of the group found it hard to focus on what was right in front of him without throwing the occasional glance over to Ed to make sure it looked as though he was still breathing. It was tough to even tell anymore, only the horrible sounds were a sign that he was clinging on by a thread. He was in pretty bad shape, Spike wasn't even sure he'd make it. The thought was buried in the back of his head for now, his emotions hardly in check.

The only sounds in that room were the boy's heavy breathing, and Ed's rasp, uneven breathing, if you could even call it that, which seemed to get worse as the seconds past. Something had to be done quickly.

The boy looked at Spike. Then Ed. He took a long glance at Ed before he looked at Greg. Then at the last moment, he turned his eyes to Vlad.

Vlad had a big smile on his face, as though he had accomplished his mission. As if nothing in the world had gone wrong for him today. Sure he knew he was going to jail, but the main thing was that he was providing for his family. He had envisioned being welcomed home in open arms and praised for his mission completed successfully. Of course, it was all in vain. A lot did go wrong that day. A lot more than he had bargained for. He wasn't told about SRU Team One. He wasn't told about how dedicated they were to each other, how much they cared, and most of all how strong and independent they were. The only thing he was told, was that their was big pay involved. It was no wonder now, though. As far as he knew, his mission was going to be successful, and maybe his family would get bonus pay for killing two extras.

Moments passed and nothing happened. Spike had been holding in a breath for what he felt like was ages. His eyes darting back and forth, anxiously waiting.

Suddenly, as if it were a big blur, the boy spun around and two shots were fired. For a moment, in his head he registered that Greg had been shot. Spike cried out in confusion and fear. He sat there in stunned silence as he took in the scene moments later. Greg was still sitting next to Ed, his eyes shut tightly. Ed was still breathing, at least Spike thought he was. And himself, he didn't seem to have any new pains that he hadn't recognized before. It took a moment for the scene to fully come to him. The subject, Vlad was crumpled on the floor. He was dead. His two brothers, frozen in shock. The boy, aiming at what was once where Vlad had stood, breathing heavy, eyes shut tightly. He let out a small cry as he began to lower his weapon, bringing his hand up to his mouth to hide the shock that it gave away.

Spike took the opportunity to stand and get his bearings while the two older men were just coming to terms with what had just happened. They both looked at each other, and no words were said, their faces betraying their feelings as they stood in shock. From one moment, they were in shock, and the next moment, they tensed up. As the boy began to lower the gun, they raised their weapons and prepared to fire.

In an instant, Spike dove for the boy in one quick movement and caught him at his chest, knocking him flat on the ground underneath him, causing him to drop his gun and send it flying. Both Spike and the boy went flying and crashed into the floor just a few feet away, taking the men by surprise. The boy struggled in his grip but Spike held him firm and completely shielded his body as the man fixed his aim to Spike, and then the other man, would begin to focus on Greg."SCORPIO!" He hollered as the men pulled the trigger.

Spike hesitated, waiting for the gunshots, and they came. Two of them, then more. More than was necessary. He held in a rise of panic as he realized that the men were able to fire off a few rounds before they were gunned down. Only moments later he realized that the were in cognitive responses, but they were aimless. As the men were shot, the guns were thrown to the ground as they fired off, not striking anyone to Spike's relief. In a flash, he heard two thuds. There was a moment of utter fear as he did not know who had been shot. He didn't dare move until he got the word. "Subjects neutralized!" Still, he waited for a few more moments, and then got up slowly. He let out a slow breath that he didn't realize he was holding in for well over the 30 seconds that had just passed. It made him almost dizzy for a few moments.

He moved quickly and took the boy to the other end of the room and placed him in cuffs. 'Wait here, and be quiet." He said, then instructed Sam to call EMT's up right away. They were clear to come in.

The boy said not a word and sat down, silently crying. He knew what he did was not going to earn him any favors, but he was content for the first time in his life. He looked at the bodies strewn across the floor, his family mowed down like a bunch of animals. He held no resentment to the officers, him and all his brother's had deserved it. He just couldn't understand why Spike had done what he did, and saved his life. After all that had happened.

He sat quietly as Officer Spike and Greg were checking the pulses of the men whom he had once called family. Both of them waiting anxiously for EMT to get here. They were taking quite a while but it was only because the firemen had to give the go ahead that it was safe enough to even be inside the building. He could tell that the officers were becoming very impatient as they waited. Greg began to pace back and forth as he talked with Spike, throwing the occasional glance to Ed, and then the boy.

The boy closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his mind. After a moment or two he opened his eyes to the bright sky that shined into the building from the now smashed windows, and then he looked at Ed.

He was in worse shape than he had remembered. In fact, he couldn't be a hundred percent sure that Ed was even breathing anymore. "Hey." He said quietly, and then he said it again when no one stopped to listen. "Hey!"

Spike answered "Quiet, officers will be here to get to you in a moment. Don't worry, everything is fine now." Spike didn't even pause to look up, talking to the boy as if he were a small child, but at the moment, he did feel like it. He decided he wasn't going to listen. "Hey! Officer! Your friend, he isn't breathing."

Both Spike and Greg shot glances up to Ed at the same time, and a split seconds later, Greg was by his side checking his pulse again while Spike was on his com screaming something about not being able to wait any longer, with a slew of curse words about some type of regulation that had to be followed during an event of a bomb going off in a building. "I don't CARE about that. There is an officer down and he needs a medic RIGHT NOW!" He yelled.

"I haven't got a pulse."


	10. Chapter 10

**Full credit for all medical related properties in this story goes to Santiaga.**

**Thanks for all of your help. YOU ARE BRILLIANT**

**I am horrible with the medical stuff so please don't flame my story for that.**

"What?"

"There is no pulse, I have no pulse! No pulse!" Greg cried out in despair. "Spike get the medics up here now!" Spike hadn't needed to be told anything, he was already screaming in his com for the medics to come. The boy looked on in horror as the scene unfolded right in front of his eyes, and there wasn't anything Spike could do to help, his own body betraying him as he stood, unable to move, his mind screaming out to help.

Greg fell to his knees and grabbed the jacket that the boy had left behind and threw it off to the side, he took Ed from his sitting position and placed him flat on the ground. He was not breathing, as the boy had correctly assumed. "Eddie, Eddie don't do this, hang in there." He said as he began to perform CPR on his fallen friend.

Greg began working on Ed, doing CPR. Minute passes. And the next. He feels despair growing in his chest. His world has shrunk. There is only Ed before him and nothing else around. He hears only his own hoarse voice, counting compressions. His hands are covered with Ed's blood. He bends down, pressing his mouth to bloodied Ed's lips, take a breath for him. He does not feel the tears that flow down his cheeks... He can not hear footsteps approaching. He continues to compress the Ed's chest, desperately. He does not feel Spike hands on his shoulders as he tries to pull him from his dying friend. He fights with Spike trying to get back to Ed to continue CPR. He can not give up.

Greg felt no relief when, after a few tense moments, Ed stirred and his pulse was weak, but it was there now. Spike took a few short steps backwards, completely at a loss for words. Taking a few seconds, he closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly. They were nowhere near out of the woods yet, but all was not lost. Greg had the willpower to help, as Spike just stood there cursing himself to oblivion because he was too scared and pathetic to even think straight.

Greg sat down against the wall and gently pulled Ed into him, sliding his hand under his arm and around his chest from the back. Holding him close, while putting pressure on the wounds, trying to keep the sensation going, helping him feel. He called out to his friend. "Okay, okay just hang in there. A little longer. Stay strong buddy please. We're not done with you yet" He tried to reassure his friend. He couldn't be sure he could hear him but the conscious of hearing was always the last thing to go, so he tried anyway. "Eddie buddy," He cried, not trying to hold back his tears anymore. He was more desperate than ever before, watching his own brother give up against the odds that proceeded to stack up against him. Greg held him tightly, wanting to do something, anything to stop what was happening right in front of him. He felt as though he was in a horrible nightmare that he just couldn't wake up from. It was all too real though, because the feelings were all there and he couldn't make them disappear.

He tried to keep Ed upright and elevated to make breathing easier on him, and also so he could make a better attempt at stopping his bleeding. Spike stood in bewilderment as he waited for anyone to show up. Time was not on there side. Ed had lost way too much blood already, so much in fact that it made it all the harder for his heart to keep pumping. As Greg quickly blinked away his tears, more soon followed as he looked up frantically searching for any sign of the medics. When he heard none he called out for help once more. "Help! Help me!"

Suddenly he heard footsteps thundering up the stairwell along with shouts from a familiar voice. It was Sam, and he was none too thrilled, as his face and distemper betrayed. "Hurry up hurry up, the way is clear. Let's go!" Greg had never heard Sam quiet so angry, but at the moment none of that concerned him. All sense of maintaining his self control was completely void as he continued to call out for help, painfully aware that Ed had stopped breathing again.

"Help over here!" He called as Sam and five other men entered the room hastily, one of them stopping to check the vital signs of all of the men, and another headed straight for Winnie. She had gained consciousness a few minutes before but had been unaware of the surrounding events. The medic spoke to her for a few brief moments and quietly guided her out of the room quickly, despite her protests of wanting to know what was going on in the briefing room. The medics reached Ed after a few seconds when they entered the room and knelt down.

"You have to let him go, we need to help him" Greg held Ed tightly, he never wanted to let him go, he feared that if he let him go, it would be the last time he would ever see his friend alive again. He wanted to be with him, to never leave him alone.

"He's stopped breathing again!" He said as he held him tighter, willing his life to be passed into him. Willing anything to stop the pain causing his heart to ache.

Spike moved in, his hands out in front of him, faced upward toward his distraught boss. "Boss, please, they are here to help, you gotta let them do their job. He needs help." He grabbed Greg's arm and held firm, "You gotta let go, please." He brought Greg to his feet as the medics moved in and started working on Ed. Spike pulled the boss into a big hug, and they both silently wept as they watched them attempt to save his life.

It was clear that the gunshot wounds had done extensive damage to Ed. One shot had been to his lower part of his chest, another to his abdomen, and a third less serious wound to his left arm. They were severe and life-threatening. Greg and Spike knew just as well, and by all means they hoped that they got here in time.

The medic instantly pulled out a portable heart monitor and began to hook it up.

"He's in V Fib. I need paddles." The medical officer exclaimed. He waved furiously to a medic who was sifting through his bag of items that he brought along. He handed the medic the stuff that he needed and he got to work, ripping Ed's shirt off by the buttons.

Greg and Spike were sidetracked momentarily when Donna came rushing into the room looking for them. She had been asked to report to SIU along with Sam, but both of them completely ignored the officers and went straight to Ed. When she saw them, she had stopped dead in her tracks. The sight was horrifying, and when Donna saw everything that was happening, she had to back away and take a few deep breaths before nausea settled in and made her sick. "Jesus" was all she could say. She heaved forward and placed her hands on her knees while she tried to compose himself. She put the back of her hand to her mouth and tried to calm herself with her sniper breathing, and the whole time, she couldn't take her eyes off of Ed. "Jesus."

"Set it up" demanded the paramedic quickly, looking at the screen of the portable heart monitor that had been hooked up only moments before. The second medic handed the paddles to him and he placed them on the Ed's chest. "Push it up to 300" he said, then "Clear" Ed's body jolted, and fear rippled through Greg as the full realization was finally starting to hit single person in that room studied the EKG within a couple of seconds. Then again, "No conversion. Hit him again. 400." Once more, Ed's body bounced up as the electric current shot through him. They waited for what seemed like hours, until finally the screen displayed the first signs of normal rhythm.

"Have rhythm. Bp 60 over 30" The paramedic let out a slow puff of air and put the paddles back. "Start a lidocaine at 2 milligrams, Ringer's lactate stream."

Greg, Spike, Sam, and even the boy had all let out deep sighs simultaneously when the medic said that he had Ed's pulse. Sam looked over to the boy and saw deep sympathy within him. His eyes were red and wet and he was speaking under his breath in a language Sam did not recognize right away.

"Get the bag" The medic said as he rummaged through his bag of supplies. "We need to clear his airway, he can't breath. I'm going to have to intubate him before we move. I need you to have the ambulance standing by and ready to go immediately." He yelled at one of his officers. "Call ahead, tell them we have an officer of the SRU coming in, immediate priority. Have surgery standing by. We have a GSW to the chest, abdomen, and upper arm. Massive blood loss and weak pulse. Go now!" He demanded and the officer left quickly, voicing commands on his walkie as he ran down the stairwell.

The medic pulled out a long tube like device from his bag as Sam moved closer to Greg and Spike, both of them looking watching without so much as a blink between them. "Alright I'm going to intubate him, stand by," The medic told his two remaining officers still with him.

The medical office pulled out a special small curved blade type device, opened Ed's mouth and inserted it carefully. Then, after a few moments he s

Sam moved in to block them from getting in the way as the medic then inserted the tube ever so slowly, causing Greg, Eddie and Donna to move forward in unison as they stared, longing to know what was happening and if they could possibly help in any way. "It's okay guys, he knows what he's doing, I've seen it done many times before, in the field." Sam's attempt at his calming words couldn't even convince himself as he continued glancing over his shoulder. It at least convinced the team members to back off what space they had closed in on. Both of the men still supporting each other as all they could do was watch, Sam joining them. He was on the verge of tears himself but he was not going to give in to his emotions yet, not while his team needed him more than ever.

"Alright, I'm through. Intubation successful. Start breathing rotations." He instructed. "Place the bag here, five second rotation, keep going no matter what." He was throwing commands to the medic, left and right, and the man did not miss a beat. He began breathing for Ed after they had successfully intubated him, inserting the ambu bag and beginning to breathe for Ed. "Make sure you squeeze all of it. Every five seconds." The man said. "We need to move him, tell them to bring up the board. Quickly, quickly." He said without looking up.

The second man continued to breathe for Ed as he radioed in telling whom everyone assumed to be the third medic to come back up with the board to carry Ed out and into the ambulance. He looked at the rest of the team standing over them. "I need your help, we need to get him out of here quickly, there is no time to spare. Too much blood has been lost, he is deprived of oxygen. If you could possibly clear a path for us to pull him through, it would make things much easier and less stressful on all of us, including Ed." He didn't wait for a response. "I understand this is a very difficult time for you, but I'm doing everything I can, but I'm not able to do much in this situation, he has to be moved quickly in order for the proper medical treatment to be given in a reasonable amount of time. I also need to alleviate the pain by sedating him and I can only do that in my ambulance. We need to hurry."

Spike and Greg both nodded, and within a moment they were rushing off down the stairs to the bottom floor. Sam took a moment to look at Ed and reluctantly turned away. He walked to the boy and grabbed him, pulling him into an upwards position, forcing him to stand. He took him by his forearm and began to lead him toward the door, not looking at him and not speaking a word. Donna followed closely behind, not parting her eyes from the floor as tears fell freely.


	11. Chapter 11

"We have to go." Sam said to Greg and Spike. They had just gotten done clearing the path inside of the building, and the medics were able to slowly and carefully bring Ed down the stairs and into the back of an ambulance, and now it was speeding away from them, sirens blasting. Greg shook his head slowly, looking at Sam and Donna.

"Come on Sam, you know the routine, you and Donna need to report to SIU-" He began reluctantly.

"Boss, you've gotta be kidding me right now, Ed's been hurt bad, they can wait a little longer until we can at least make sure he is okay." Sam interjected. He was no way in hell about to take his emotional ass all the was up to SIU only to be questioned about today's events. He didn't know how much more he would be able to take before imploding and just going off on someone.

He was ashamed, none the less. Sam was supposed to be the rock of the team, having gone through so much already in the field, before he even met any of these men. Shooting his own best friend, these things shouldn't affect him the way they were right now. He supported his team, and Ed supported him. That was just it though, his support was not there, so he felt empty inside, no one to turn to. He was holding his own, but only for his team.

"Alright, I understand. You are okay to drive?" Greg asked hoarsely, his voice cracked. "Jules and Leah are already there right now, we can go and check on them while we wait for news on Ed…" he faltered and couldn't finish what he was saying, feeling weak and defeated. He observed his his hands. They were covered in blood, just like most of his vest. It only sickened him more as he was aware that all of it belonged to the man he held most dear to him, after his own son. Eddie was his family, he had known him for over twenty years. Ed had been there through all of the tough times. He was there when Greg's family left him, his hand on his back the whole way. Visions of Ed's smiling face glanced across Greg's mind.

"Yeah, I'm good to drive." Sam said as he studied his bosses reaction. He was more emotionally truck then Sam had ever seen him before, even more so when Ed was shot the other time. It makes sense though, his wounds were nowhere as serious last time. It didn't even compare to what was happening now. Still, he was concerned about his wellbeing. For all of their sakes, he hoped Ed would pull through. Sam was worried that his boss was going to lose it way sooner than him. "We should go.." He said again, jumping into one of the black SVU's and starting up.

Without saying a word, Spike, Greg, and Donna all clambered into the vehicle. Sam put in drive, and they all took off, following in the trail of blazing sirens.

While they sped their way to the hospital, making sure to avoid highways, Donna had received a phone call from Jules. "She says that she's just been discharged and she is signing herself out now, she'll be waiting there for us." Donna reiterated to the team. Most of the trip had been in complete silence until the familiar ring of Donna's PDA filled the void. At first she really did not feel like answering it but the silence was driving her insane. "She also says that Leah is okay, just a few broken ribs. She has not been discharged yet. And Jules says that Winnie just showed up a few minutes ago, under her own willpower. She seemed to be okay, but really upset." The team acknowledged and Donna hung up the phone only for the occupants in the vehicle to fall silent again.

"Guys, Ed is a fighter," Donna began. She wasn't sure if anyone was aware, but ever since she joined Team One to temporarily fill in for Jules as she was healing from her gunshot wound, she had sort of a thing for Ed. Yeah, he was married and she was well aware of it, but it still didn't stop her from caring deeply for him and having sisterly love for him. She was just as much a part of this team than any of the others were. "He'll pull through, we have to know this. His has a big family, they all need him. He won't leave any of this behind, it just won't happen." She said, looking at all of them one by one.

As she looked at Spike, however, what she had said seemed to have clicked a few gears in his mind. He looked up with his bloodshot eyes and wet face, as they began to widen like saucers in the sudden realization of something that was extremely important. After a few moments locking his eyes with Donna, he said one single word that made everyone in the SVU catch their breaths all at the same time. "Sophie" He mumbled. "She would have heard something from Clark by now!" He said louder.

'Someone needs to call her." Greg said quietly. "She needs to know what has happened. Shit I completely forgot, I'm so sorry." he mumbled to himself. "I should know better than that." He continued to talk to himself with words that only diminished his credibility and how he felt like he had let his team down.

"Boss, I'll do it." Donna said, throwing a concerned look to Greg. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't just you who forgot, it was all of us." She said as she heard him continue to mumble about him being the one responsible to remember these types of things. "I'll call her right now."

Donna dialed the number that Spike read off from his phone and all was silent while she sat, listening to the phone dial out, ringing once. Twice. Three times. Donna was secretly hoping that Sophie for some reason wouldn't answer the phone. Any reason at all. After the third ring, Sophie picked up. "Hello?" came her voice, timid and sweet as usual. Donna was sick to her stomach, knowing that she'd be the one to bring Sophie's world crashing down in an instant.

"Hello, Mrs. Lane, This is Donna from SRU-"

"Oh, hello Donna, how are you?" Came her soft reply. "How is Ed, and I heard Clark paid a visit to see him today. Is he still around?"

Donna looked at Spike and hesitated. "Ma'am, you haven't heard from Clark since earlier this morning?" She tried to hide the nervousness in her voice but as usual, Sophie could see right through it.

"Is everything alright? No I've not heard anything from my boy at all today." She said, her voice a little raised in alarm.

"Mrs. Lane, we have some news about Ed" She said, and before Sophie could interrupt her or say anything, she continued. "He was involved in an incident at SRU headquarters today, he has been injured." She hated to be blunt, especially over the phone. "He's been shot. He's being rushed to the hospital as we speak, and we are on our way there right now." Donna continued even though the line on the other end had become dead silent. She knew that Sophie was still listening. Then she said the last few words quietly. "You need to come quickly, it's not good." A few tense moments passed and she heard Sophie let out a soft cry, it send shockwaves through Donna like she had been given the news herself.

After a minute or two, "Clark?" came her reply. Her voice wasn't as sweet as it was scared now, and Donna hated it. She longed to be there in person, and just embrace he in a giant hug, and to tell her that everything was going to be okay. However, her training was grilled into her that she was not allowed to lie to subject or victim. Donna pushed these thoughts to the back of her head, not wanting to consider Sophie a victim. Not yet.

"He is fine, I am sure. He was with us earlier today. He's in a bit of a shock but he is going to be okay. We'll have him brought to the ER. You just come on over, and we'll meet you there. We are only a few minutes out." She said. After another minute or so, she hung up her phone once again and looked at Sam. "How come Clark hasn't said anything to his mother yet?"

Sam replied, "I'm not sure.. he would of at least said something.. Someone try and call his cell." He threw a confused glance over to Greg who was just staring at his hands that rested in his lap. "Boss, you have his number." He said directly to him, trying to get his attention.

"Right, sorry." Greg snapped back to reality as he saw Sam speaking words to him that he didn't really understand at first. He had blocked out most of the conversation that Donna had with Sophie, painfully noting the sorrow in her tone of voice. Only imagining Soph as her life was quickly pulled out from under her, just like it had his.

"Boss" Sam tried for a third time, as Greg sat there quietly, not initially answering him the first couple of times. "C'mon boss, we need Clark's number." he probed.

Finally Greg named off Clark's cell number by heart and Donna dialed it in as they pulled into the parking lot of the Emergency Room. Greg had practically opened the door and walked out before Sam had completely stopped into a parking space right next to the front door, where patients were led in by ambulances. The ambulance that carried Ed was already hear and the lack of activity that was going on outside told them that Ed was already inside. They all looked at each other, too afraid to be the first one inside, not knowing what was in there. It scared them all to the core. This was team one, scared and broken, more than ever before.

Donna caught up with them, walking in between Sam and Greg, she turned around and looked at them. "Hey, Clark is not answering his phone."


	12. Chapter 12

"What does that even mean?" Sam asked. "Why wouldn't Clark be answering his phone?" He was just as baffled as the rest of them while they stood outside the doors to the hospital, none honestly willing to go in. None except Spike, who was pacing around in tight circles. "I would think he'd be the one to answer on the first ring, especially today. Right now." Sam stood next to Donna and scratched his head. "Boss, let's try and call Dean."

"Yeah, I'll call." Greg said. He was listening now, more alert. More aware of what was going on, beginning to fight the haze that was overwhelming him minutes before. He set his phone to speed dial his son's cell number. When he did not answer after the first few rings, a new sense of fear arose in the pit of his stomach. The last thing he wanted to deal with was his son missing, possibly running off with Clark in a hiatus. To chill their nerves, if you will. But if his father was involved as a hostage, he wouldn't of run off, would he? The thoughts running through Greg's mind were endless and horrifying the longer it took for his son to answer.

"Hey, Dad?" Finally came the answer and Greg let out a huge breath of air. Dean's voice was filled with worry as he spoke. "Dad, how is the team? How is Ed?" He asked attentively, as if he had already known the answer from someone else who had told him. For a second, this completely threw Greg off his game. What was left of it, at least. Was there any left? He didn't even know anymore.

"Son, I'm going to need you and Clark to come and meet me at the hospital, Ed's been shot." He struggled to say the next words. "It's not looking good, Clark needs to be here as soon as he can. Is he with you?" He asked.

"Yeah he is with me, he's just, um, well one of the cops told us everything that happened dad." Dean replied slowly, he wasn't sure how much he should tell his dad. "He is all upset. He said he needed to talk to someone. I told him we'd go to the hospital together, but he refused. He was acting all weird. I thought originally that he'd want to talk to you. I'm sorry dad."

Greg's brow furrowed and he immediately waved Sam and Donna over. "What do you mean he was acting all weird? When did you last see him?" He looked at his two team members, confusion settling in as a new concern arises. They both looked at him with the similar features spread across their faces. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they knew something wasn't right.

"Well, I don't know. When the cop told us what happened, he just stood there staring. I asked him if everything was okay but he never answered me. When I offered to take him to the hospital he said he had to go, and he took off." Dean told his father. "That was about ten minutes ago." He hesitated before saying something that really threw Greg off. "He gave me his cell. Dad."

Frustration leaked from Greg's voice. "What the -. I mean, why in the world would he do that?" He said. "Dean you need to tell me where he went, if you know-"

"No, sorry dad. He didn't say. He just said he had to meet someone." Dead replied. "Look dad, I want to come and see you guys. Can I just come over myself? I want to know how everyone is doing."

"Yeah, okay buddy." Greg said. "You can come now, just drive safely, okay? Good, talk to you in a few." Greg hung up the phone and looked at the two faces staring at him in concern. With his red puffy eyes and wet face, he told them what was going on. Both of them looked at each other and then back at Greg. "I need you two to go and find him. I understand this is asking a lot of you at this point in time, but this is Ed's kid. The last thing that needs to happen right now is Clark getting involved in anything or getting hurt. Soph just wouldn't be able to take it." He looked at them sadly. "I promise I will text you guys with anything that comes up." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "If anything happens, I promise." Greg put his hands on their shoulders as he made way to the door, walking in between them. "Just find him. I don't care what he's doing."

Sam and Donna nodded and Sam looked at his Boss. "Anything. Give him our best. We'll find Clark, don't worry about it Boss. Just focus on Ed right now, he needs you." He looked at Greg with his sad eyes and nodded.

Both Sam and Donna got back into the vehicle with no further word, and took off. Greg looked at Spike and he nodded slowly. "Alright Spike, are you ready?"

"Yeah, boss. Let's go." He answered, and not waiting for a reply, he headed up, calling Greg to follow him without looking back.

They stepped through the doors and both hesitated, looking around, It was quiet, barely anyone was there. Spike immediately went to the front desk to ask for Ed.

"Yes, an SRU Officer was brought in here a few minutes ago. Me and my Boss." He said as Greg walked up to the desk and stood beside him. "His name was Ed Lane, do you have any information?"

The nurse looked at Spike and Greg solemnly. "I'm sorry sir, that officer came in flatlined. They are trying their best right now. I'll have a doctor come and let you know everything as soon as they can. Again, I am really sorry."

Spike and Greg's eyes widened at the same time and they both looked at each other, completely stunned. This wasn't really happening, was it? Greg suddenly felt dizzy and about to collapse. Spike saw the sudden change in his boss and without thinking, went and grabbed him by the shoulders and held him steady. "Are you okay, do I need to call someone?" The nurse stood with a worried look on her face.

"No, it's fine, boss come with me, come on sit down." Spike said, coaxing his boss into one of the chairs in the waiting room. "You'll be okay, just relax." He sat down next to his boss and hugged him. "He'll be okay, he's gotta. He's gotta." Spike said to himself as much as to his boss.

Just at that moment, Sophie walked in. "Wait here boss, I need to talk to Sophie." She was already walking toward them. Her eyes betrayed the tears that were hidden from her face. She looked small, timid, and scared. Spike took her over to the side and began talking to her.

"Ed, he was shot multiple times. it's not looking good Sophie, I'm really sorry." He said after a few moments, fresh tears clouding his vision, and he didn't even care that Soph saw him like this. "We have to prepare for the worst." He paused, not believing in the words that were coming out of his own mouth. His voice cracking, he continued. "There is something we have to tell you, Soph. We can't find your son. He is missing.."


	13. Chapter 13

**Clark fans better back off now. Things are about to go sideways.**

"I thought your men had this handled?" He asked. "You told me you were the best of the best. You couldn't even handle some stupid little Canadian Task Force. How pathetic can you be-" He stood there. The man gazing at him, just daring him to say one more word. The boy had rushed in, unannounced, and almost got his head shot off by the towering man. The man was flustered and stressed from the day's events. Which had at the least, been unsuccessful. So far. All of his well trained men were killed, one had betrayed them and their objective was never completed. families would have to be compensated, insurances. He'd have to double the contract price. Maybe even take on the risk of killing the contractor if someone bigger would sell out.

The child spoke once more. "I didn't expect your people to make such a big show of themselves. Like they craved the attention. I recommended you went in low. This was not the best you could do. I warned you. I know these people. They are easier to target when they are separated. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me? You only have yourself to blame for this mess. I won't be held accountable for any other deaths, not even that of your own men."

The much larger, and very much older man walked briskly to the other man who was practically a child to him. In fact, he was that of a child, not older than twenty years. He stood, with his curly hair, and high stature. Wearing his t-shirt and a pair of nice blue slacks, as if he were half formally dressed. His old sneakers, busting at the seams. The larger man stood almost a foot higher than him. "This isn't any ordinary 'task force' that we were informed of. This team is elite, the best of the best." He said. "But now that doesn't matter. We may have tagged the wrong guy.." The boy looked away slowly and mumbled something under his breath. "-What was that, was there something you wanted to add?" The man stopped and looked at the boy, expecting him to say something.

"No, it's just that I contracted your men to kill Greg Parker only. They made a pretty big mess of things. Instead they injured, or possibly killed, my..-" The boy stopped short, his breath catching in his throat. Tears forming in his eyes. He wiped them away quickly and turned around. "He was a good friend of mine. That's all." He said quietly. "I understand you said measures would have to be taken, but I never realized.."

"That's called collateral. If you don't like the way we do things, then we have a problem." The man interrupted. He walked away from the boy and then turned to look at him, his eyes steadfast with the rage of his fallen comrades. He sighed. "You want the job done, it's never perfect, but it's gonna get done. Now if I may continue?" The boy nodded. "We may have tagged the wrong guy.. your father" He said slowly. "But even then, the damage has been done. This elite team it broken. Their guard is down, and now is the perfect time to strike. Greg Parker won't know what hit him until it's too late."

"Really? Don't like the way you did things? Of curse not. You did absolutely nothing right. You told them to go in heavy, I said that was a bad idea. You said lay the traps, I said_ that _was a bad idea. You said claim a hostage. How many times must I list off the things you screwed up on? Yes I am not happy with what you've done. Your men did not even kill the contract."

"Why are you so interested in killing a man you've known your whole life? I am truly not understanding this. Care to elaborate?" The man looked at him curiously.

"Not really," The boy said. "I'm not at liberty to say. I have to do it, I have to protect my family. They are in danger, someone told me that this man is a great danger. I will take no risks. I love my mother very much, and my sister. I would protect them with my life."

"Well what about your father?"

"He has been conspiring with Greg Parker all of this time. I love him, not anymore. I have been fed information that my father has been cheating on my mother with several other women. He has even fathered another child. It disgusts me. I've been playing cool for months now. He didn't even suspect that I knew anything, he was so oblivious. Even just this morning I was talking with him and he showed me no love, just pushing me away like always. But this is information that isn't relevant with what we are dealing with right now. How soon can you get this done?"

"Clark, my boy, you'll get your kill soon enough." He said, patting the boy on his head like a small pet. "But we're going to have to make a few last minute arrangements. Come with me."

* * *

Greg Parker had finally managed to compose himself enough to stand without the room spinning. He walked over to where Sophie and Spike stood, hugging each other and crying. He wanted to comfort her but something held him back. "Greg, where's my son? Where would he go?" She said, a hint of desperation and anger in her voice. Her whole world was being wrung out and hung to dry in the heat and stress of the desert. "Where would he go?" She said over and over again, sobbing into Spike's shirt. He just stood still and supported her.

It didn't add up, not even to Greg. He stood with his hands on his hips and sighed. He took his thumb and finger and pressed them against his eyes with pressure in order to alleviate the pain in his head so he could concentrate. It had been a really long day, and in all reality only an hour and a half passed. All of this happened throughout the whole course of one day, and he felt that they had been at it for a week. He was exhausted, ashamed, and his emotions were in shock. He took Sophie and hugged her, nodding at Spike to say that he could go back to the front desk to ask about Winnie. "Soph, don't worry, we'll find him. He's probably just gone off because he was scared. We will find him," He soothed her.

"I know. I know." She said over and over again. "I just want everything to be okay. I don't know what's going on. I just want everything to be okay" She cried. Greg held her until she couldn't cry much more and they both sat down waiting for the news to come, from either side. Was Ed going to survive? Where was Clark?

**More info on why Clark is doing all of this will be coming a little later, don't worry.**


	14. Chapter 14

**10 Days Earlier **

_The dark and damp bag was ripped from his face and the light that shone in blinded him. He sat there. The boy's arms were not bound, he was not injured, and he was not gagged. He just sat in a chair at a table. A scruffy looking man was sitting directly opposite of him, across the table. If Clark didn't know any better, he'd of guessed that the man was nearly ninety years old. He wasn't focused on the details of the man's features though, he was more apt at figuring out what had just happened and how he got here. _

_Just moments before, or so he assumed, he was at school. They were on lunch break and he and his friends were all sitting in the cafe talking about the morning's pop quiz test in Mrs. Felicity's Biology Class. Clark was complaining that it wasn't fair for the teacher to throw it on them like that when Dean disagreed, saying that he should of studied like he was supposed to. Clark scoffed and told his friends that he had to go to the bathroom. The last thing that he remembered was walking into the bathroom and then everything went black._

_ "What is this? Where am I? My father is going to have your head." He shouted to the man at the other end of the table. The man just stared at him without moving a muscle, not even blinking. _

_"We are here to talk about your father, young man." It didn't even look or sound like the man was even talking. The voice was that of a middle aged man and it sounded tight. "Clark Lane, isn't it?" _

_"Yes," Clark said quickly. "What do you want with my father?" He darted eyes between the raggedy old man to the tough middle aged muscle._

_"We are just hear to talk to you about him and his friends. They are dangerous. In fact, we have come to kill Greg Parker. I know this might sound insane to you now, but before you react, we need to talk. The person who hired us told me that you'd be the best person to contact for some intel." _

_Clark looked at the man like he had just struck him in the face. "What the hell are you even talking about? What the hell?! You are going to kill Greg Parker? No way! I will tell the police! Why? WHY?" Clark shouted. He couldn't believe this was happening. This must have been a nightmare he was having right now. These people wanted to kill Greg? Why the hell would they want to do that, and why the hell would they tell him and think he would help? "What the hell is your problem! Let me go!" He began to stand but another man sat him back down firmly. "Let me go! I'll tell everyone!" He shouted. _

_The man simply sat there and laughed. "Boy you should listen. I have something important that you would like to probably hear. It is in your best interest. It concerns your father." He said standing and walking toward Clark, slowly, his smile not wavering. He has a file in his hand which had obviously contained paper, but again Clark was not bothering to listen. This creepy man was making threats on his father's best friend and now even talking about his father. _

_Clark stood again and shouted. "Not a step further you creep! You better let me go. I've seen your face and I will tell everyone. If you don't let me go, my father will make sure to end you! He is a police officer! One of the best!" _

_"Boy sit down, I just want you to look at something." The man smiled again as Clark reluctantly sat down, defeated. He wasn't going to be able to pull off some type of escape. He sat slowly and tried to not show his fear. "Look at this." He said, throwing the file on to the table in front of Clark. "Just look at this." He said again when Clark didn't move. "It's your father, with another women." _

_This caught Clark's attention and he looked at the man with fire in his eyes. "My father, with another women? That's bull. He is married to my mom. He wouldn't do something like that." He said, but his hand was reaching for the file, longing it to open. His eyes scrolled the cover and he flipped it open despite his mind telling him not too. Inside contained tons of paperwork and behind all of the paper were photos. Clark pulled the photos out. All of them were of his father with a blonde headed woman and a small child, no older than Izzy. They were smiling, hugging and even in some pictures, there he was kissing her on the forehead. Some were of them in a house that Clark had never been to, others were in public areas such as the coffee shop, or the book store. These photos were clearly taken without his knowledge. No one had been looking at the camera and in many of the photos, his father was looking secretive. Clark scanned through the photos and looking at each one over and over again. He was trying to look for things that would say that these photos were fake, something to tell him that these men were playing a sick joke on him, but he couldn't find anything. All of the photos looked so legitimate that it scared Clark. He looked at the man after a few minutes and shook his head, shoving the photos away from him and across the table. He covered his mouth from the obvious shock that was bleeding through. "These have to be fake, there is no way.." He said quietly. _

_"It also contains some incriminating evidence against his friend Greg Parker." The man said., studying the boy's face. "Such as him being an alcoholic. A dangerous man with a gun. Here are a few files stating how he's put his men in constant danger, allowing them to become hostages and blow themselves up with landmines.." _

_"That was an accident!" Clark shouted. "It wasn't Greg's fault!" He refused to look at the man. "Tell me where you got these pictures." Anger in his voice. The pictures were real, it didn't take an expert to tell him that. His father was cheating on his mother and he even was with another child, possibly his child. What did Clark know anymore? He knew his father had been acting distant with him lately, putting him off and yelling at him more. Losing his temper easily, and getting into fights with his mother. Clark and his mother just thought he was having a tough time at work, after he had to kill that young girl. It was only natural, his mother had told him. But if only she knew this. Could he tell her? That would ruin the whole family. Izzy would lose her father and his mother would be broken. Why did his father have to betray them like this? Why didn't he just talk about it! The more Clark thought about it, the more angry he became. "You need to let me go! I want to see my father, I want to talk to him!" He said, fighting the rage that was building inside of him. Enough to mow these men down and run._

_"Before we let you go, look at the paperwork!" The man shouted, slamming his fist on the table, startling Clark. "You need to see it!" "I don't want to know anymore." He yelled back, fighting back tears of anger. "Well that's too bad, because I'm not letting you go until you LOOK" He yelled again, throwing the photos and the paper back toward Clark. _

_Clark couldn't stand looking at the photos anymore. He threw them back away and most of them flew off the table and scattered everywhere at the man's feet. His father was a traitor, so what? He still wasn't about to aid and abet to killing Greg. He was going to have a talk with his father when he got home though. He was so frustrated. There were hundreds of photos here of him and that woman. And the child, that's what bothered him the most. Why would he father another child? Rage had began to burn his throat. How would he tell his mother? She would be heartbroken. He reluctantly grabbed the paper that the man had shoved into his face for the third time. Inside the stapled paper work that had clearly meant to be classified, was detailed information about Greg Parker. Including many men that had died under his command. Team members that had been shot, taken hostage, injured, blown up, killed, and all of the people he had killed personally. There was a record in the file that said Greg Parker had convinced a fellow officer that he was insanely crazy and he didn't even bother to stop him from committing suicide. And another where he got into an argument with his father, sending him off to get shot seven times. Clark recalled the event, but he never assumed that it was Greg's fault. That was when Izzy was being born, Clark thought. And then he shuddered, thinking about how that other little girl was the same age as Izzy, possibly being born at almost the same time. And again he was brought back to his original rage while he was looking at the photos, as he continued to look at the files. His disgust began to show as he read that he had shot and killed a young girl's mother. _

_Clark didn't hate Greg, but at the moment he wasn't too fond of his father. In fact, despite his effort to control himself, he was very angry. Angry enough to hurt someone. The built up rage from his father ignoring him and treating him like he didn't exist, was starting to raise to the surface. The photos had brought him to his boiling point. He did not want to hurt his father, but then again, he did. _

_He thought it over as the man stared at him, grinning. He was sure Clark had fallen for the false photos. No way some stupid lazy kid would be able to call out the false detail on those photos, even if his father was an officer in the police force. He had been watching this boy for a long time now. His troubling family issues would only feed into the boy's paranoia. It was only a matter of time before he would lose complete control. The man continued to shove photos and paper into Clark's face, only increasing his anger._

_The man talked with Clark, for well over an hour. Clark couldn't stop thinking about his stupid father, but the man wouldn't stop talking about Greg. He laid out his plans. Apparently someone had called it in, as some type of revenge plight, someone wanted Greg dead. Clark was hardly listening, but the man continued to talk. "I won't get into the details, but all I know is that Greg Parker was involved in some type of task force, years ago, that were dedicated to clear out the drug problem in this city. This was when the Sergeant was still a detective." He said. "Apparently during one of his drug busts, he and his men busted into the house and killed all of the residence because they fired on him and his team first. There were no survivors, and one of the ones killed was a fifteen year old who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was unarmed. Of course, I always only hear on side of the story. I don't get paid to find out the truth." He smiled. Clark just stared, and after the man stopped talking, he looked down at the files. _

_He wanted to scream. The more Clark looked at the files, the more frustrated he became. Greg was a reckless officer, despite what his father said about him. The way he talked about Greg, he might as well have been cheating with him! Clark thought. He took a deep breath. Greg was horrible. He had almost gotten his own father killed numerous times. Of course, Clark was never told about this, but obviously that wasn't the only thing he wasn't told about. What else had Greg done? It didn't matter. He threw the paper on the ground and stood. The truth was out for everyone to see. Team one was a false front. At the moment Clark hated his father to his blood and core. The time would come that he would confront him. He would tell him everything that he had found out. But first, he thought, he got the crazy idea that he would help these men out. Just to get back at his dad he would help these men with whatever information they needed. What better way to get back at his father than to take away all of what he loved. First his best friend, then he would confront him in front of his mother and she would leave him. A teenagers mind at work, Clark was not thinking rationally. He was blinded by invisible rage, acting without proper discipline. _

_"Yeah, alright. I'll help"_


	15. Chapter 15

It had seemed like forever since Greg and the others silently sat in those cold, hard metallic chairs in the waiting room. They spoke not a word to each other, for over two hours and not one nurse or doctor came out of the ER looking for them. Greg kept telling himself that that was a good thing, that he was still alive and they were still working on him. It didn't ease his nerves at all, however. He found himself stuck in thirty second intervals with his phone, constantly checking to see if his team had located Clark at all.

About fifteen minutes into their wait, Jules had come out, her arm in a sling. She walked up the the men and had told them that Winnie was doing okay and that she was just in shock and emotionally distressed. She kept saying "Edd" over and over. The doctors gave her some sedatives to help her relax and sleep for a while. They had also giving her some fluids. Spike asked Greg if he could go back there and be with her. Greg didn't argue, so he just nodded and told Spike he would text him if there were any updates. Now it was just him and Soph, and he couldn't think of anything to say, so he just sat there counting the tiles on the roof.

After about an hour, Sam texted him asking if there were any updates from his end and Greg responded no. Since Sam never replied to that, Greg only assumed the answer was the same on his end. He knew Sam wanted to get back to the hospital as soon as possible but he also knew that if Clark was not found, the problem could escalate and be much more worse than it already is. Especially for Sophie.

Greg looked at Soph, sitting next to him. She was clutching her phone, white knuckled, waiting for any sign of a ring or text. She wouldn't stop staring at it, wouldn't look up, but Greg could see her shoulders shaking as she was crying silently. He reached his hand out for her but stopped midway, pulling back. He was in no condition to comfort her, not in the state of mind that he was in. He sat back and sighed.

Those men were after him, to kill him. Eddie just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. How was he supposed to explain that to Soph? That it was his fault that all of this happened, his fault that his best friend was here right now. Would she accept his apology? Would she ever forgive him? Greg wondered at the thought and concluded that Soph wouldn't ever forgive him for this. It was too personal, too close. If Eddie dies, there would be no one left to blame but himself. He sighed again and closed his eyes, replaying the scenes from the entirety of the last few hours. From how quick his team's response was, and how it was handled. He got too emotional, he knew that. Emotions wracked his nerves as soon as he saw that screen flash in front of him, showing his friends state. Spike's reaction was justified, as was Sam's, but to Greg, it was a whole new level of hurt. Seeing his best friend surrounded by a bunch of murderous creeps with weapons. Seeing him lying there, bleeding out and begging for breath as they just stood over him. All his mind saw in those first few seconds was him - Eddie - and nothing else. He didn't notice the kid, and he didn't notice them arguing between each other. He didn't see the guns, or any trigger device for any bombs. That was also completely his fault. He couldn't count the times he had done wrong today because his emotions distracted him. What was he going to do with himself if Eddie didn't make it?

Greg shuffled his feet when he noticed a small doctor emerge from the swinging doors that they had shifted Ed into only hours earlier. There were not many people in the waiting room today, so the chance of that Doctor looking for them was pretty good, so Greg stood, looking at him cautiously, not quite willing to approach him. For a few milliseconds, Greg had hoped that the Doctor was not here to see them. He wasn't quite sure he was ready for any news yet. If anything, he knew that it wasn't going to be good. Even if Eddie did survive, the healing process would be long. It would take months.. years for him to get better. Maybe he'd quit the team. Greg shook the irrelevant thought out of his head. Yeah, maybe he would, but he could care less. As long as he's _alive_.

The Doctor caught wind of Greg and looked at his paperwork he was holding in his hand. He quickly shuffles it under his arm, tucking it underneath and approaches Greg. Sophie takes notice and stands as well, her eyes betraying a new fear that wasn't there before.

"Sophie Lane?" He held out his hand to her. She hesitated but then grabbed it and shook, nodding slightly. "Good, and you must be Sergeant Gregory Parker, yes?" He subsequently held out his hand to Greg and he took it without hesitation and also nodded. His voice was too constricted for him to say anything. "Mrs. Lane, I'm going to need you to come to the private family room so we can talk, is it alright that Sergeant Greg comes, as well? I can only allow him if you say yes."

For a moment he thought Sophie would completely refuse his offer and say no, but then she looked at Greg and nodded. _Oh, if only she knew. She wouldn't want me having anything to do with this_. The Doctor looked between them and when he was sure Sophie made her choice, he began to lead them to one of the private rooms. Panic burned Greg's throat as then entered the room. He knew what these rooms were for, but he didn't say anything. He steadied his breathing as the Doctor calmly asked them to please take a seat.

The Doctor took the chair across from them and sat, letting out a deep sigh. "My name is Doctor Angus Finland, I am the Doctor taking care of Ed."

When he said "taking care of Ed" both Sophie and Greg both released a whoosh of air from their lungs, that they felt like they were holding in for hours. Doctor Finland only returned their responses with a grim look. Greg notices it before Sophie and he stiffens up. He dares to speak a word. "How is he, doc?" His voice broke and it came out hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken a word in months. Sophie took his hand in hers as he looked at the Doctor expectantly. Greg resisted the sudden urge to pull away from her and cringe. He silently cursed himself.

"It's.. not good." He answered quietly. He took a breath and continued. "He took some serious injury. Three gunshot wounds." He paused when Sophie whimpered, then continued. "One of the bullets hit the center of the chest, the wound-blind. The bullet seems to have become stuck in the bone of the spine after going right through the rib. Rib fragments are self injuring objects - they also injured the lung tissue causing a collapsed lung. Luckily someone had alleviated the stress by putting him in a sitting position to make it easier for him to breathe." He looked at them both. "Another one of the bullets barely missed the abdominal cavity, but hit the side of the abdomen. Only soft tissue, only the muscles have been damaged. This is unbearably painful to the host and causes shock." The Doctor took another deep breath and looked at them again, giving them a few moments to interrupt him with any questions. When no one spoke, he continued. "The last bullet struck him in his arm. Now most people would assume that a shot to the arm or leg couldn't really be that serious but unfortunately there are cases where it can be devastating. The gunshot to your husband's upper arm," He looked at Sophie, "lodged itself in the bone, cracking it in half, ultimately damaging the blood vessels surrounding it. There was also some nerve damage to the arm." He sighed.

Sophie looked to Greg and buried her face in his chest. All Greg could do was sit there. He opened his mouth and closed it, and then opened it again. "Is he gonna make it?" Was all he could manage to say.

The Doctor looked at him with soft, sad eyes and spoke. "We're doing the best we can. We've already lost him multiple times on the table but he is fighting it. He is strong, I can tell you this. He was taken into surgery awhile ago and we are working on him to the best of our ability. I cannot guarantee anything." He stood. "Mrs. Lane, you should get into contact with your relatives. You can stay in this room for privacy for now, I'll tell the desk clerk to direct anyone who comes to this room, if that is okay with you." He looked at Sophie, and for what seemed like the millionth time today, she just nodded.

When the Doctor left, Greg stood abruptly and walked across the room, startling Sophie. He looked at her for the longest time but couldn't bring the words to his mouth. _It's my fault Sophie!_ he screamed in his head. He wanted to tell her so bad but something held him back, he didn't know what, but it was a strong enough feeling that it tied up his tongue. The only thing he managed to say after just three minutes of staring at her pain ridden face, watching her cry quietly by herself while he stood on the balls of his feet, "We'll find Clark. Don't worry."


	16. Chapter 16

**Oops… guess I shouldn't have been so eager to start my second fanfic. Now I'm just so busy that it's hard to keep up! Sorry everyone for keeping you waiting! Does anyone read this anymore? Sorry that this is so short.**

Once again, Jules joined the two others, Greg and Sophie. Neither of them had said a word to each other after Greg had told her that they were going to find Clark no matter what. Jules walked into an awkward silence and she could imagine what was going through their heads. The boss looked like a complete wreck, his eyes were red. His hands were covered in blood and he just looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

Sophie just sat there, seemingly staring into empty space. Not a sound or movement. Jules just didn't know what to say so she just sat. She quietly longed for Greg to sit, but he just wouldn't stop pacing. He was practically walking a rut into the floor. She could tell he was walking a thin line, but what scared her most is that she could only assume that line was broken.

"He said that Ed was cheating on me." Sophie suddenly said. Both Jules and Greg froze, and then looked at each other.

"Sorry, what?"

"Clark… he told me that… that Ed was cheating on me." She said between sobs. "But he... he wouldn't do this... would he?" She didn't look up, she didn't move. She just stared at the floor. "Clark, my boy… he would not kill his father. I cannot believe it." Her voice shook as she spoke.

"What..." Greg couldn't wrap his mind around it. What the hell Sophie was saying made no sense. Ed cheating on her? How and when? If he was not with her, he was with them. Ed never went anywhere else. Greg stood in shock, unable to even pace anymore. His mind was riddled with confusion. Did Clark have something to do with this? No way, Greg refused to believe that. He shook his head.

Jules sat there, just as confused as Greg. "Sophie," she began. "What do you mean Clark told you that Ed was cheating on you? How… where did he get such an idea?"

"I'm not sure. Just a few days ago, he said he wanted to talk to me. After Ed left for work he just told me. Said a few men showed him pictures of Ed and some blonde woman. And a child."

"A child? And a blonde woman?" Greg said more to himself. "Jules."

"I'm on it boss." Jules opened the door and left the room, leaving Greg and Sophie alone again.

This time Greg decided to speak. "Sophie… I know what this looks like. Clark, I'm not sure what is going on with him. I can't tell you what is going through his head right now but…" He paused, rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He looked at her. "Soph, your son has nothing to do with this. I can assure you that. He maybe a little upset with Ed right now but I know he did not do this."

Greg took a deep breath and looked at her with his sad eyes. She shook her head. "Yeah, and how do you know that Greg? I want to believe it, I want to agree with you. Everything inside of me is telling me to ignore my feelings right now. But I can't."

Greg walked over to her and sat down. He took his hand and cupped it around her chin, bringing her took look at him dead in the eyes. "I know, because the men were there to kill me Sophie. Me."

* * *

Clark didn't even know what to do anymore. Up until this point, he hated his father. His father cheated his mother and his whole family. He did it behind their backs and lied through his teeth. How could anyone be so cruel? This man had two children and a wonderful wife who would have done anything for him. Who stayed by his side the times that he was injured on the job and when he put the job before family, she still came back to him. After all that, he still did it.

Clark was walking down the street now. He wanted to get as far away from the men as he could. He needed to think. He needed to clear his mind. What the hell was happening to him? He didn't know what was going on anymore. His dad was in the hospital or dead because of him. Yes, he was aching inside. No he didn't want to go see him. It would be too painful. Was all of this really worth it? He never meant to kill anyone, he was just angry. All he saw was red and the men took advantage of it. Now the men were planning a second attack against Greg, while the team's guard was down. Now they would surely kill him and everyone who got in their way. Clark was an accomplice. He couldn't go back now. They were going to kill Greg in a few hours, and it was all Clark could do to get himself away from them as he thought. What had he done? This was all but a nightmare and there was no turning back. He turned down the dark path and there was no light to guide him back. Or was there?


End file.
